MUSCAT : At a press conference held today, Festival Director Laila bint Habib Al Hamdoun said the event is part of a series of festivals organized by the Omani Society for Films and Theater this year; however, what distinguishes the upcoming event is that it specializes in the field of women and children in the Sultanate of Oman. “Through it, we seek to highlight films that discuss women and children’s issues; a number of filmmakers from Arab countries will be part of the judging committees,” she said.

The festival includes two competitions: the Short Narrative Film Competition and the Short Documentary Film Competition, which will see 11 prizes being distributed over the two competitions, alongside exciting cash prize for the winners.

The Festival committee has set a number of technical conditions for participation in the competitions, including that the main film content focuses on women and children, and that the film’s production be between 2020 and 2022 – Omani films, however, are allowed to be produced from 2018-2022, with English subtitles available for films in Arabic or other languages.

The Festival aims to encourage work on women and children and introduce the importance of their issues to the Arab and international community. It aspires to encourage intercultural dialogue and increase artistic mobility in the Sultanate and promote the same.

The festival session will present a number of societal issues about women and children in a cinematic framework and with a new and different vision of society. It will endeavor to spread cinematic cultural awareness and highlight the importance and role of women and children in Omani, Arab and international societies.