6 Omani and 4 international films were crowned at the conclusion of the Al Batinah International Film Festival

On Tuesday evening, the activities of the Al Batinah International Film Festival, which was organized by the Omani Society for Cinema and Theater, concluded during the period from 12 to 15 November 2022.

The results of the festival were as follows: The award for the best international short fiction film went to the movie "Divergence" by director Murad Bouzrour from the Kingdom of Morocco, while the award for the best Omani short fiction film went to the film "Diyaaa" by directors Muhammad Al-Attar and Waleed Al-Kaabi. The film "Saralish", directed by Yasir Ahmadi and Behrouz Bagehri, won the Jury Prize for Short Narrative Films from the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the Documentary Film Competition, the award for the best international short documentary film went to “The Silence of the Shepherd” by Marwan Trabelsi from Tunisia. The best Omani short documentary film went to “The Art of the Rhythm of Life” directed by Jawaher bint Nasser Al Kharousiyya. The Jury Prize for Short Documentary Films was also awarded to the film "Tales of Ekinji" directed by Marwa El-Sharkawy from the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In the category of films of the Human Relationship with the Sea competition for Omani films, the award for the best film was won for the film “Nawakhatah of the Rufiji River” directed by Anwar Al-Ruzaiqi, and the jury prize was awarded for the film “You Will Not Dive Alone” by Fahd Al-Maimani.

As for the Audience Award for the best film, on the theme of man’s relationship with the sea, it went to the Omani film “You Will Not Dive Alone,” directed by Fahd Al-Maimani. The Audience Award for Best Narrative and Documentary Film at the festival was also won by the film “From the Rhythm of Life” directed by Jawaher Bint Nasser Al-Kharousiyya.

During the ceremony, a panoramic presentation of the participating films and the scenes of the festival was presented for four consecutive days, and a group of guests who cooperated in the success of the festival were honored, including: Journalist Dr. Mohamed Saad for his role in the media coverage during the festival days, and director Haitham Suleiman for presenting the workshop "Towards an Amazing Film Script". The festival management also honored the Alden Theater for Culture and Art for winning the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature for the year 2022.

And in continuation of the efforts of the Omani Society for Cinema and Theater, and in cooperation with the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Muscat, it was announced that the AKAS University Film Festival will be held during the period from February 27 to March 1, 2023 AD. Fahd bin Ramadan Al-Maimani, director of the festival, said: “University cinematic films will be received starting from November 15 2022 AD until February 15, 2023 AD.

It is worth noting that the festival included a discussion session on the films participating in its competition on the morning of the closing day. The analytical and critical aspects were discussed with the participation of filmmakers, festival guests, those interested in film criticism, intellectuals and artists from the Sultanate of Oman and the participating countries.