Kuwaiti film 'No Doors' Wins Best International Documentary Award at Dhofar Film Festival
The second Salalah International Film Festival concluded the evening of the day before yesterday at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Cultural and Recreational Complex in Salalah. Organized by the Omani Cinema Association in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Dhofar Municipality, the four-day event featured a diverse array of cinematic and cultural activities.
Dr. Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Yafai, Director of the second Salalah International Film Festival, emphasized in his speech at the closing ceremony that the festival was the result of passion and significant efforts by its organizers, driven by their conviction in the importance of enhancing Dhofar Governorate’s presence on the international cinema map. He noted that the festival’s events contributed to showcasing diverse cinematic and cultural experiences, opening windows onto different worlds, cultures, and human experiences, and affirmed that cinema plays a role in bringing peoples closer through shared human values.
The Kuwaiti film “Bila Abwab” (No Doors) won the award for Best International Documentary Film at the second edition of the Salalah International Film Festival, which concluded its activities in the Sultanate of Oman after four days of screenings and cultural events.
The Omani Cinema Association, the festival’s organizer in strategic partnership with the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Dhofar Municipality, announced the results of the film competitions. The film “Wahm” (Illusion) won the Omani Narrative Film Competition, while “Warood Mahruma” (Forbidden Flowers) received a special commendation.
In the documentary film category, the Omani film “Hayat ‘ala ‘Uqalayn” (Life on Two Wheels) won the award for Best Omani Documentary Film. The Omani film “Al-Himsam: Al-Rajul” (The Sword: The Man) received the Special Jury Prize, and the Libyan film “Malika” (Queen) was awarded a special commendation.
In the international narrative film competition, the Egyptian film “Qafala” (Guardian) won the award for Best International Narrative Film, while the Moroccan film “Qawarir” (Bottles) received the Special Jury Prize.
The second edition of the Salalah International Film Festival saw the participation of 32 films from 16 Arab and foreign countries, competing in four main categories. The international narrative competition included 13 films, five films participated in the Omani narrative competition, six films were entered in the international documentary competition, and eight films competed in the Omani documentary competition.
The festival’s program also included a range of cinematic and cultural activities, alongside film screenings, workshops, seminars, and tourism tours.
