Organised by the Oman Film Society (OFS), the third edition of the Dhofar Arab Film Forum will screen 17 films from nine countries; Egypt, Oman, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran and India.
Running between 15 and 20 August in the city of Salalah, the forum is divided into three competition sections. The first section is for Omani films and includes seven documentaries and shorts, the second section is for international documentaries and includes six, and the third for is short features and includes four films.
From Egypt, Hayah Tahra (Tahra’s Life) by Mohanad Diab competes in the documentary section, and Har Gaf Sayfan (Dry Hot Summers) by Sherif El-Bendary is competing in the feature films competition.
Tahra’s Life was among 10 Egyptian films screened at the Shorts Corner at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, where it premiered.
It also shared the Best Short Feature Film Award at the 31st Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries (AMFF) with Tunisian director Hend Bou Gomaa for her film Fa Tazawag Romeo Min Juliet (Then Romeo Married Juliet).
Tahra’s Life was shot in Minya over four days, and tells the story of an Upper Egyptian woman’s struggles while breaking stereotypes about women in the area.
Dry Hot Summers is an award winning film written by Nura El-Sheikh and co-produced by Claudia Jubeh (Germany) and Hossam El-Ouan (Egypt).
The film won the Robert Bosch Stiftung Film Prize for International Cooperation at a gala held during Berlinale Talents, a six-day creative summit for up-and-coming filmmakers at the Berlin Film Festival. It also scooped up the main award in the Short Films category at Algeria’s ninth Oran Arab Film Festival.
The 30-minute film captures the chance meeting of two lonely Egyptians on a bustling and hot summer day in Cairo. The day's journey disturbs the stifling routines of the two characters, taking them on an expedition of self-discovery.
The short fiction film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival's 13th edition, 2016.
Iran is highlighted at the forum outside the competition, with screenings of some top Iranian films, and the presence of an Iranian delegation that includes three film directors.
The forum presents jury and audience prizes to the winning films.
The Oman Film Society was founded in 2012, and is the organisation behind the Muscat International Film Festival.
