About Muscat International Film Festival

I AM Muscat International Film Festival

Since the middle of the last century, flocks of Omanis began to leave in groups and as individuals to the neighbouring Gulf States and to the Indian subcontinent. Cinema back then opened a new culture in a way that their minds never knew before. Through it they were introduced to Arab and Islamic protagonism while Indian cinema addressed their emotions and tears.

And there it began, the formation of a relationship with motion pictures of that generation, a source of cultural and aesthetic awareness. It moved them closer to the cultures of other people, and fed their ambition to move cinemas to their country, which lived in a state of isolation and absence.

Later on during 1970s, the first signs of the emergence of public cinemas in Oman were remarked. Following that, a film audience from later generations was formed, leading to the proliferation of a serious cinematic culture, as well as the schools of cinematic innovation which introduced a qualitative accumulation to this art. It began with a modest experiment based on open-air cinema, introduced by well-known businessman Jawad Sultan, which developed with him and others.

In the context of the desire for extraordinary cinematic experiences, driven by an intimate desire for cinematic direction and production, It made individual physical and moral efforts, founding experiments in short films, followed by creative cooperation and support from the Oman Film Society and some government agencies. Its content and technical quality is destined to maturity of the experiment, especially after it has won a number of important awards in international film festivals.
The Omani Film Society stands today as a leading institution embracing the experiences of film creativity, starting with its bold step in launching the first Omani film festival in 2000 until its 10th festival of 2018, translating the ambitions and aspirations of the Omani filmmakers who are always dreaming of creating a cinematic experience and creating an international film festival, and today the festival is celebrating a decade of actualisation…” . .

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