Saturday 21 / December / 2024
Muscat: The curtains came down on the first-ever European Film Festival in Muscat with a vibrant closing held at Vox Cinema, Mall of Oman.
The week-long festival, which celebrated European cinematic excellence, showcased 15 films from nine participating embassies, drawing an enthusiastic and diverse audience.
Deputy Ambassador French embassy Luciano, addressed the esteemed invitees, reflecting on the successful festival and introduced the final screening of the French film ‘Divertimento’.
Representatives from all nine participating embassies—France, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Hungary were present at the event, marking the end of a remarkable cultural exchange through cinema.
Sudha Sha, President of the International Film Foundation of Oman (IFFO), a team under mission Arabwood, delivered the concluding remarks, expressing heartfelt gratitude to all the embassies, participants, the official partner and sponsor Vox Cinema, and the wonderful audience that made the festival a resounding success.
She praised the collaborative spirit fostered by Vox Cinema, highlighting the remarkable venue, high-quality technical screens, and exceptional hospitality, and reaffirmed IFFO’s commitment to nurturing global cinematic partnerships. Qasim Al Sulaimy Vice President of Arabwood delivered the welcome speech .
One of the evening’s highlights was the much-anticipated release of the concept teaser for an exciting anthology movie from Oman, created in collaboration with international partners.
This unique project, initiated by Arabwood, aims to explore themes that unite and divide humanity, showcasing diverse stories from across the world.
The project includes 6 movies from Oman with international collaborations, providing training to more than 120 talents from Oman in film making.
The project proposes involvement and support from Oman’s CCI ( Cultural creative industry) connected ministries, corporates and individuals.
The concept teaser was officially unveiled by celebrity guest actor-producer Vivek Oberoi, Arabwood International Patron Dr. Mohamed Khan (Khan Media City, Dubai), proposed anthology production spectrum partner Mr. Abdul Aziz Barudgar, and IFFO President Sudha Sha.
Adding to the star-studded night, Vivek Oberoi also released the teaser for his latest film, Mr &Mrs Grey accompanied by producer Shikha Aluwahlia and special guest Cham Majolica, Managing Director of The Diplomatic Club.
The dual teaser launches underscored the exciting cinematic developments that lie ahead, both locally and internationally.
The closing ceremony brought together representatives from the world of film, diplomacy, and media, celebrating a successful cultural exchange through the EU Film Festival and heralding new collaborative ventures in global filmmaking.
