There has been an overwhelming response from Omani youth aspiring to be future film-makers, as witnessed by the regional film festivals, which are being held as prelude to the Muscat International Film Festival in 2024.
A huge number of youngsters turned up for the film-making camp conducted as part of the Al Batinah Film Festival, which is scheduled to be held from November 12-15, in the Wilayat of Al Musannah, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Al Batinah South and with the support of the Training and Development Committee and the Support and Production Fund of the Omani Cinema Society (OFS).
The film camp aimed to develop the skills of participants in making short films, by guiding them and teaching them the secrets of this field by experienced experts, and providing them with new skills and building confidence that will enable them to shine and excel in the world of film-making.
“I want to pursue my career in film-making and I am interested in scripting and direction because there is a huge potential for Arab films in the region and beyond,” Ahmed al Hattali, one of the aspirants told the Observer.
The programme also includes a creative thinking workshop, which will be presented by Fatima al Hinai, Director of Media and Marketing at the Al Batinah Film Festival, and director Anwar al Ruzaiqi, Director of the Support and Production Fund at the Omani Cinema Society. This workshop aims to empower and develop the skills of participants in brainstorming to create creative and innovative ideas for short films.
The camp continued with a distinctive screenwriting workshop presented by screenwriter Qaiser al Hinai, which aims to enable participants to transform a potential creative idea into a ready-made scenario for a short film in an effective and attractive way.
“The Al Batinah Film Festival and all the festivals organised by the Omani Film Society represent a vital part of the cinematic scene in Oman, and one of the main goals of these festivals is to provide incubators and the appropriate environment for discovering and developing diverse cinematic talents in all governorates,” Mohammed al Ajmi, founder and director of the Al Batinah Film Festival said.
The Sultanate of Oman also aims to empower these talents and prepare them to work in the film industry, to enhance their participation in local and international festivals and to spread cinematic culture across the region and to the rest of the world thus moulding more film-makers that are talented in various areas of film-making for the future
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