The Oman Film Society (OFS), Oman’s main hub for training and developing filmmakers, showcasing Omani stories, and pitching Oman as a shooting destination besides representing the Sultanate in international festivals, will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the OFS headquarters in Airport Heights on Tuesday.
The Oman Film Society was founded in 2001 as a government-funded, non-profit body, soon after the launch of the Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF). It was earlier registered as the ‘Omani Society for Cinema and Theatre but later, the Ministry of Social Development
(MoSD) renamed it as the ‘Oman Film Society’, splitting theatre into its own society and incorporating more film-oriented initiatives with academic institutions and regional film festivals.
The idea was to give Omani filmmakers a common, official platform to develop local film-making talent, to copyright and protect their materials as well as moral rights, to promote Oman’s locations to foreign producers via ‘Make Your Film in Oman’, and to represent Omani filmmakers at Arab, Gulf & international festivals and conferences.
Dr Khalid Abdul Rahim al Zadjali, who is known as the pioneer of Omani cinema, and who directed films like The Dream in 2001 which is the first Omani feature film, Boom, and Zayana, was the first chairman.
Today, Anwar bin Khamis al Ruzaiqi is the chairman of the OFS while Sulaiman al Khalili serves as the Vice Chairman.
The erstwhile chairmen of the Society are, besides Khalid al Zadjaly, Mohammed bin Sulaiman al Kindi, Humead Said al Amri, and Qasim al Sulaimi, and Mohammed bin Abdullah al Ajmi.
The Society, with over 200 members, today conducts training programmes and workshops besides various courses in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, festival submissions in coordination with various international film festivals and bodies. As a result, the society has been able to nurture local talent and helped produce more than 80 short films, documentaries & features in just the last 2 years. It has also hosted freat film personalities on Oman soil in the past 25 years of irs existence besides succeeding in making Omani titles win laurels abroad.
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