“Ayn” Short Film Festival Kicks Off
Muscat, 24 Jan (ONA) --- Activities of the first edition of Ayn Short Film Festival kicked off today under the patronage of Sayyid Saud Hilal Al Busaidi, Governor of Muscat.
Organized by the Ministry of Information, the 5-day event is aimed at promoting the Omani film industry, enhancing the associated cultural movement and supporting the development of innovative content.
Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, Minister of Information, said that the festival seeks to achieve a number of objectives in filmmaking, cinema and drama. The goals include honing the skills of script writers, filmmakers, actors, directors and all other participants in the production of cinema films.
The minister pointed out that the festival also aims to provide Ayn platform with professional short films, contribute to the evolution of a meaningful media content, improve the expertise of jury committees and interact with those interested in the industry. The activities include workshops, film screening and a specialized symposium, he added.
The festival’s winning films will have a wider opportunity to propagate, since they will be presented to the public through Ayn platform, which greatly exceeded the projected number of views, attracting more than 10 million visitors from different countries of the world, the minister affirmed, he added.
Speaking about the volume of feedback and sharing, the minister said that reactions to the current edition of the festival underline the existence of a large number of talents who need to receive support, care and attention—an original specialty of the Ministry of Information whose mandates include supporting youth talents.
The minister explained that the festival is Ayn platform’s first engagement in cinema and filmmaking. He stressed that the experience will be evaluated and proposals be welcomed for the sake of improving upcoming editions.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Said Al Balushi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Chairman of the Festival Organizing Committee, underlined the Ministry’s keenness to encourage Omani youth to engage in filmmaking. This approach, he explained, stems from the Ministry’s conviction in the existence of a wide spectrum of burgeoning talents in this field. Accordingly, the Ministry adopted one of Ayn platform’s advanced initiatives to launch the Short Film Festival, which, he said, constitutes a new gateway that reflects intellectual and artistic products and contributes to the exchange of knowledge among different countries of the world.
Contribution to the development of innovative content in this industry embodies the role of the Information Ministry in highlighting the Omani identity and its cultural manifestations, said Al Balushi, noting that this also supports government’s efforts “to promote the Sultanate’s cultural aspects as soft forces that have positive implications within Oman and abroad”.
Al Balushi added that after the announcement of the festival, more than 71 films were received in the festival’s three categories: narrative, documentary and children’s films. Out of those, 55 films were shortlisted for the contests—among them 34 films would be shown for the first time, he said.
During the ceremony, the Information Ministry honoured some figures who contributed significantly to the filmmaking industry.
Ends/Bishara/AH
