Muscat – Oman Film Society is injecting new life into the country’s film sector with its latest endeavour – financial backing for unproduced short film scripts. This move aims to not only enhance the cinematic skills of local filmmakers but also lead them to both national and international stages.

Elaborating on the objectives of the initiative, Anwar al Ruzaiqi, Director of Support and Production Fund at Oman Film Society, said, “Our support aligns with the national ‘Make Your Film in Oman’ project, which seeks to fortify Oman’s film industry. We aim to transform cinema into a viable economic contributor by capitalising on Oman’s unique geographical, environmental and historical assets, and by attracting international production houses.”

Ruzaiqi added that the initiative builds on a succession of films previously backed by the society. In August, it launched Unexecuted Screenplay Competition, open exclusively to its members.

“We received 12 submissions, of which three were selected for full funding: Mazufa by Azza al Qassabi, Al Zajra: Memory of Elephants by Dr Hamid al Amri and Dirty Feet by Talib al Balushi.”

Ruzaiqi informed of an additional effort to offer partial support to other noteworthy submissions, thereby accelerating the overall film production pipeline.