Cinemana International Festival inaugurated in Oman

Muscat, The Gulf Observer: The Cinemana International Festival has been inaugurated today, Saturday, February 4, 2023 under the patronage of the Minister of Heritage and Tourism.

The activities of the Cinemana International Festival opened today in its fourth session. The festival is being hosted by the Sultanate of Oman for the second time in a row, at the stage of the Scout Band of the Directorate General of Scouts and Girl Guides in Muscat Governorate. It will last for six days.

The opening ceremony of the festival was sponsored by His Excellency Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, who said in a statement: “The Sultanate of Oman’s hosting of the festival is important for a thriving cinematic industry, and Oman, with its diverse terrain between the plain, the mountain and the sea, is an open theater, to employ this terrain in the content of the aesthetics of this country.”

The Minister added. “Each governorate has different advantages, and linking these aesthetics with content that touches on social issues, terrain, and current and future issues is considered an area of creativity, as cinema represents the appropriate platform for this aspect.”

“The Sultanate of Oman enjoys diverse geographical locations and terrains that are closer to open studios for filmmakers, which are no less important than what we see in the global cinematic picture, indicating that the festival comes as an invitation to producers and filmmakers to enter this scenic and charming nature,” Dr. Khaled bin Abdul Rahim Al Zadjali, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Festival and Vice President of the General Union of Arab Artists said.

At the end of the ceremony, His Excellency the Minister of Heritage and Tourism, the sponsor of the occasion, honoured the artists Duraid Lahham, Tariq Abdulaziz, Akef Najm, and a number of producers and sponsors of the festival.

The activities of the Cinemana Festival are being held in the governorates of Muscat and Musandam, with the aim of identifying the cultural, civilisational and developmental landmarks in the two governorates, due to their distinction in historical and geographical components.

The festival’s vision is based on exploiting the enormous energies of the youth, and creating a cinematic platform around which all creators and artists gather to get to know their peers in the countries of the Arab world, and keep pace with the trends of advancing creativity and culture among all segments of society. The festival also seeks to establish the rules for artistic work, and the exchange of expertise and experiences in support of the principles of love and tolerance.

The total number of films registered for the fourth session of the International Film Festival totalled 121 films, of which 43 films were short and feature films. The Sultanate of Oman, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Algeria, UAE, Sudan, Iraq, Palestine, Bahrain, Iran, Serbia, Portugal, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Tunisia participated in this session.