Filmmaking Camp launched in Al Musannah

Al Musannah: The film making camp in the wilayat of Al Musannah was launched today in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of South Al Batinah and with the support of the Training and Development Committee and the Support and Production Fund of the Omani Cinema Society, as part of the activities accompanying the Second Al Batinah Film Festival.

The film camp, in which 28 people interested in the field of short film making participate, aims to develop the skills of the participants in short film making, by specialists, and provide them with new skills and build confidence that will enable them to shine and excel in the world of film making. Among the camp’s activities is the artistic workshop on the interaction of creative thinking, presented by: Fatima Al Hana’i, Director of Media and Marketing at the Al Batinah Film Festival, and director Anwar Al Ruzaiqi, Director of the Support and Production Fund at the Omani Cinema Society.

It aims to empower and develop the skills of participants in brainstorming to create creative and innovative ideas for short films. In addition to a distinctive scenario writing event presented by Qaisar Al Hinai, which aims to enable participants to transform a potential creative idea into a scenario ready for a short film in an effective and attractive way.

A workshop will also be presented on learning the arts of photography and cinematography, presented by Bahraini director Jan Al Balushi, during the period 17-18 of this month, to give participants comprehensive artistic skills in the arts of photography and cinematography through practical work sessions and the production of short scenes. The camp will then continue with another session on film editing using the latest technologies, presented by Muhammad Al-Ruqaishi, during the period 20-21 of this month, which aims to teach participants creative and effective video editing skills using software to achieve amazing visual effects.

Mohammed Al Ajmi, Director of the Al Batinah Film Festival, said: The Al Batinah Film Festival represents a vital part of the cinematic scene in the Sultanate of Oman, and one of the main objectives of these festivals is to provide incubators and the appropriate environment for discovering and developing diverse cinematic talents in all governorates of the Sultanate. This also aims to empower and prepare these talents. To work in the film industry, to enhance their participation in local and international festivals and to spread cinematic culture.

Al-Ajmi added: To achieve this goal, the Al Batinah Festival management took the initiative to establish an integrated camp that includes all stages of film making, starting from generating ideas and brainstorming, all the way to writing and developing the scenario, then focusing on the basics of film directing, photography arts, and montage. This camp seeks to guide the participants. Towards achieving the highest level of cinematic quality in their works.

Fatima Al-Hinai, presenter of the Creativity Motivating Seminar, explained that the seminar creates an exceptional opportunity for young people aspiring to enter the world of short film making, and for creative people who seek to explore their ideas and transform them into innovative cinematic works, and work on developing writing and directing skills and directing ideas to the big screen in a unique and attractive manner. It is worth noting that films produced from the camp will participate in the Al Batinah Film Festival, which is scheduled to be held during the period from November 12-15, 2023.