Muscat – A curtain raiser held recently on the IndOman International Film Festival (IIFF) 2026 marked the beginning of a landmark cultural and cinematic initiative that celebrates collaboration between India, Oman and the wider region.

The event held at the Omani Society for Fine Arts set the tone for a week-long celebration of cinema as a medium for dialogue, creativity and cross-cultural exchange.

Held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in partnership with the Embassy of India in Oman and the International Film Foundation of Oman, IIFF 2026 from 2 to 8 February will highlight cinema’s role as a bridge for creative collaboration, cultural exchange, talent development and industry partnerships. The festival has been organised by the cultural initiative Seventh Art Creations, helmed by festival director Sudha Sha, and is being hosted in the spirit of 70 years of India-Oman friendship and diplomatic relations, further strengthening the longstanding cultural and creative ties between the two nations.

The curtain raiser was inaugurated by H E GV Sreenivas, Ambassador of India to Oman, and H E Agis Loizou, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus and Chair of the EU Group in Muscat.

The ceremony also marked the inauguration of the festival’s collaborative film programme, Learn & Shoot with Masters Anthology Initiative which will be led by Gernot Weidner, Deputy Head of Mission at Embassy of Austria, and directors Meera al Macki and Nilanjana Sha.

The Learn & Shoot with Masters initiative will train emerging local talent, with screenings of Higuita made by Nilanjana and How Fortunate by Meera.

The festival will have strong focus on collaboration in film production. The Panorama Screening Programme, running throughout the festival, will including Vikram Vedha and Mehra Days (in Arabic), Hellaro (Gujarati) and English Vinglish (as a tribute to actress Sridevi, in Hindi).

Sudha said, “Films unite people irrespective of any differences in caste, creed, nationality or religion. We are happy to present the diversity of India through films and also look forward to joint collaborations with Oman.”

The festival will also host a competition of Omani short films made by Omani nationals and Indian residents in the sultanate.

According to Sudha, Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit and Aamir Khan are expected to attend. Khan will be honoured for his outstanding contributions to cinema.