emirates7 - The Xposure International Film Awards 2026 honoured global filmmakers whose work demonstrates purposeful storytelling and cinematic craft during a dedicated awards ceremony held on Monday.

The latest edition attracted 634 film submissions from more than 60 countries, highlighting the festival’s growing international reach and its expanding focus on film as a vital visual medium.

The awards were presented by Tariq Saeed Allay, Director-General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), and Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB.

In the Best Cinematic Arts Award category, Danish Farhan (UAE) won for Bedouins of the Wind, with Kazakhstan’s Maxim Akbarov named runner-up for Steppe.

The Best Visual Effects award went to Iran’s Majid Farzolahi for Story of the Earth: Anarchy, while fellow Iranian filmmaker Mahdi Hadizadeh received the runner-up prize for Holy Death.

Caspar Diederik from the Netherlands won Best Documentary Feature for Muga, When She Stops Flowing, So Will We, with Portugal’s Fernando Teixeira named runner-up for Wilder Côa.

The Best Short Film award was claimed by Latvia’s Sergios DeLaurentis for Crimson Silence, while Palestinian filmmaker Ahmed Deeb placed second for Farfour: A War Diary from Gaza.

The Xposure Achievement Award in Film and Documentary was presented to Abraham Joffe for Trade Secret, which also made its UAE premiere at the festival. The award honoured his sustained body of work exploring the complex relationship between people, wildlife, and the systems shaping the natural world.