Oman’s Film Festival Focuses on Saudi Arabia
(AWP) - The 2nd edition of Al Batinah International Film Festival in the Sultanate of Oman, under the theme of “Movies of the Future,” will screen films by Gulf directors shedding light on the development of the film industry in the region.
The festival’s premiere celebration, held in the Nakhal Fort in the province of Al Batinah, highlighted the Palestinian people and showed support for the Gaza Strip, which has been bombed by Israel for nearly 40 days now in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people.
Organized by the Oman Film and Theatre Society in association with the office of the South Batinah Governor, the event was attended by a cohort of artists from the Sultanate and other Gulf states.
The festival director, Mohamed al-Ajamy, said Saudi Arabia was selected as as the first honoree country.
“In this edition, we decided to have a guest country focus, and we selected the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Screenings were shown in all areas of Al Batinah. The premiere of this edition will be played in Barka city, the second event will be held in Sur, while the third will be here in Nakhal Fort,” Ajamy said in statements to the Arab World Press (AWP).
He said 42 films from 28 countries are participating in the festival, chosen among 215 entries.
The films include Saudi Arabia’s Malakat Emanana (Queen of our Faith), by director Hady al-Nasr, which tackles the issue of slavery.
“I learned about a film festival in Al Batinah and applied with my film. I was surprised that it was accepted. It was the only Saudi film to be accepted in the event. I was so happy. It was also a chance for me to visit the Sultanate of Oman for the first time. I really liked the people here,” Nasr told AWP.
Participating films also come from Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Algeria, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, the Netherlands and the United States.
The event honored actors Ashraf Zaki and Rojina from Egypt ,and Abdel-Mohsen al-Nimr from Saudi Arabia.