Al Batinah International Film Festival to be held in Oman

Muscat, The Gulf Observer: The dates for the Al Batinah International Film Festival have been decided in its second edition this year. The festival will be held from 12-15 November under the slogan “Human relationship with land”.

The festival includes several competitions in a number of axes, namely: the Omani and international short narrative film competition, the Omani and international short documentary film competition, and the festival competition.

A new competition for government and private institutions in the Sultanate of Oman has also been introduced with the aim of enhancing cooperation and communication between different institutions in the production of documentaries using high-quality techniques in terms of clarity of idea, scenario and implementation, as well as contributing to spreading culture and human values.

The festival, which is organised by the Omani Film Association in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of South Al Batinah, is an attractive space for youth creativity in the field of the film industry, and an opportunity to benefit from international cinematic experiences, in order to advance Omani cinematic works.

The festival’s head, Dr. Hamid Al Ameri, said that the second edition of the Al Batinah International Film Festival is a continuation of the series of festivals held by the association, through which it seeks to achieve its desired goals, the most important of which are: spreading cinematic culture in society, promoting the Sultanate of Oman as a future front for the international cinematic industry, and presenting the governorates and states of the Sultanate to the media interface, publicising it in cinematic forums, and motivating filmmakers in the Sultanate of Oman by presenting their cinematic works.

For his part, the director of the festival, director Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Ajmi, said: “We welcome all filmmakers – from inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman – to participate in the Al Batinah Film Festival in its second edition, which is a unique opportunity for filmmakers to display their creativity, exchange knowledge, and enhance cultural communication in this wonderful field, which is also an opportunity to discover Omani and international talents in the film industry. We believe in the importance of cinema as a means of transmitting stories and enhancing cultural and human communication.”

Those who wish to participate in the festival’s competition must prepare to submit their work, starting from today, Saturday, August 19, until October 1, 2023, via the festival’s official website.