The 11th edition of the Muscat International Film Festival will be held from March 3 to 7 under the auspices of Faisal bin Abdullah al Rawas, Chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI).
The four-day festival will begin on Sunday with the Iranian film 'The Guard' by Abotaleb Sadegh Daghighi followed by Yaser Ahmed and Behruz Bagheri's 'Exchange', and 'Rose Water' by Mahmood al Shaikh.
A large number of entries were received when the deadline ended on January 31, from film-makers from countries as far as the US, Tunisia, Iran and Morocco, besides from GCC and Middle East, according to the organisers, Oman Film Society (OFS).
"We began receiving entries for the Muscat International Film Festival 2024 two months ago, and there has been a great response from local talents as well as international film-makers," said Humaid al Amri, OFS.
MIFF, organised under the slogan 'Renewed Oman' has grown to be a major film festival in the region with the participation of jury members and guests from across the world.
Speaking to the Observer, Al Amri said that the last edition of the MIFF, held in March 2020 under the theme ‘Make your film in Oman’ introduced international film-makers to the most important tourist destinations in Oman, besides having seminars and workshops on the formalities and procedures involved in obtaining licence to film in the country.
"We have included several competitions in a number of genres, for both the Omani and international filmmakers under the title 'The Relationship of the Omani Man with the Land.' What makes the festivals different is that both citizens and expatriates can participate in the festival and we have created separate sections for the same," said Al Amri.
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