Omani
Participation at Jordan Film Festival

Amman,
21 Sep 2026 (ONA) — The Omani film “Rooted” by director Sultan Al Qamshouhi
is being screened as part of the eleventh edition of the Jordan International
Film Festival, organised by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture and running until
24 September.

The
film’s participation opens a window onto a young Omani cinematic experience at
a time when Omani cinema is enjoying a growing presence at Arab and international
festivals.

Through
its participation in the festival, “Rooted” continues its journey
beyond the Sultanate of Oman, having already found its way to a number of Arab
cinematic events, as it was included in the list of short films participating
in the Casablanca Arab Film Festival in its seventh edition for 2026,
confirming the expanding reach of the Omani experience on the Arab cinematic
scene.

The
film also took part in the Dhofar International Film Festival, where it
featured in the narrative films programme, in an edition that brought together
works from the Sultanate of Oman, Portugal, England, Iran, Iraq, the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

“Rooted”
also enjoys a distinctiveness tied to its embodiment of the local environment
in the Sultanate of Oman. On the technical level, the film draws attention to a
number of elements that constitute its cinematic language, foremost among them
the visual treatment that integrates with the presence of the Omani environment
as part of the fabric of the tale.

Colour
grading lends the image its visual identity and contributes to building its
atmospheres, while editing plays a role in governing the rhythm of the
narrative and its transitions, in keeping with the nature of the short film,
which requires economy in image and time. This is clearly demonstrated by the
director’s attentiveness to preparation and to the visual details in
constructing a cohesive cinematic world, in which image and story integrate in
conveying the event.

“Rooted”
represents an experience that harnesses the potential of the short film to
condense the tale and to rely on image, detail and rhythm in presenting a
vision that springs from the specificity of the local environment while at the
same time reaching out towards the Arab viewer.

The
film’s presence at the Jordan International Film Festival acquires particular
importance, as this event brings together experiences from a range of cinematic
directions and milieus, with the participation of artists, directors,
academics, critics and Arab and foreign guests.

The
current edition of the festival received more than two thousand films from
various countries around the world, which were viewed and assessed by
specialised committees, with eight films selected to participate in the
official competition, alongside six films produced by the Jordanian Ministry of
Culture and six films created by students of Jordanian universities.

—
Ends/Khalid