The first Al Roya Film Festival will take place on November 28, the Oman Film and Theatre Society (OSFT) announced on Wednesday.
All filmmakers aged between 10 and 21, of any nationality, can participate in the three-day film festival which will be held at the OSFT premises.
Speaking to the Observer, Mohammed al Kindi, avid filmmaker and trainer, said that all are welcome to submit their films to the OSFT and participate in the fest. Any short film, documentary or animation above 10 minutes duration is eligible for a preview for the fest.
The festival’s opening ceremony will be held in the presence of a group of filmmakers, interested people, intellectuals, and participants on November 28. The event will have a lecture on the importance of the film industry in the Sultanate and felicitation of the pioneers of cinematic work in Oman will follow.
Movies will be shown on November 29 followed by a session with a group of intellectuals, filmmakers and interested people on the same day.
A workshop for participants and those interested in filmmaking will be held on November 30 followed by previewing the other participating movie. The closing ceremony will be on November 30, where the makers of the winning films will be honoured.
A central committee chaired by Hatem al Tai (President), who is also a filmmaker; Qassem al Sulaimi, Technical Director, and Mohamed Al Kindi (Technical Advisor) has been formed.
Mohammed Al Kindi (Oman), Dr Salma Youssef Mohamed Kamel (Egypt), Dr Muhammad Bilal, Dr Malak Dahmouni (Morocco), and Dr Leila Barhouma (Tunisia) are the members of the Jury.
Members of the Film Selection Committee comprise Mohammed bin Reda al Lawati, Abdulaziz bin Saif al Habsi, Fahad bin Ramadan al Maimani, and Mohammed bin Abdullah al Ajmi.
