Muscat: Activities of the first edition of Ayn Short Film Festival kicked off today under the patronage of Sayyid Saud Hilal Al Busaidi, Governor of Muscat. Organized by the Ministry of Information, the 5-day event is aimed at promoting the Omani film industry, enhancing the associated cultural movement and supporting the development of innovative content. Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, Minister of Information, said that the festival seeks to achieve a number of objectives in filmmaking, cinema and drama. The goals include honing the skills of script writers, filmmakers, actors, directors and all other participants in the production of cinema films. The minister pointed out that the festival also aims to provide Ayn platform with professional short films, contribute to the evolution of a meaningful media content, improve the expertise of jury committees and interact with those interested in the industry. The activities include workshops, film screening and a specialized symposium, he added. The festival' s winning films will have a wider opportunity to propagate, since they will be presented to the public through Ayn platform, which greatly exceeded the projected number of views, attracting more than 10 million visitors from different countries of the world, the minister affirmed, he added. Speaking about the volume of feedback and sharing, the minister said that reactions to the current edition of the festival underline the existence of a large number of talents who need to receive support, care and attention-an original specialty of the Ministry of Information whose mandates include supporting youth talents. The minister explained that the festival is Ayn platform's first engagement in cinema and filmmaking. He stressed that the experience will be evaluated and proposals be welcomed for the sake of improving upcoming editions. Meanwhile, Mohammed Said Al Balushi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Chairman of the Festival Organizing Committee, underlined the Ministry's keenness to encourage O mani youth to engage in filmmaking. This approach, he explained, stems from the Ministry's conviction in the existence of a wide spectrum of burgeoning talents in this field. Accordingly, the Ministry adopted one of Ayn platform's advanced initiatives to launch the Short Film Festival, which, he said, constitutes a new gateway that reflects intellectual and artistic products and contributes to the exchange of knowledge among different countries of the world. Contribution to the development of innovative content in this industry embodies the role of the Information Ministry in highlighting the Omani identity and its cultural manifestations, said Al Balushi, noting that this also supports government's efforts 'to promote the Sultanate's cultural aspects as soft forces that have positive implications within Oman and abroad'. Al Balushi added that after the announcement of the festival, more than 71 films were received in the festival's three categories: narrative, documentary and children's films. Out of those , 55 films were shortlisted for the contests-among them 34 films would be shown for the first time, he said. During the ceremony, the Information Ministry honoured some figures who contributed significantly to the filmmaking industry. Source: Oman News Agency Madrid, The activities of the International Tourism Fair, FITUR, kicked off in Spain, with the participation of Syria.
The International Tourism Fair, FITUR, held in Madrid, Wednesday, January 24, to January 28, organized by IFEMA MADRID, reflects in its 44th edition the growth experienced in recent months by the national and international tourism industry and provides the bases for the consolidation of the sector during 2024.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Eng. Nidal Mashfej, pointed out that ' FITUR 2024' is considered one of the most important fairs in the world, and ranked the fourth in Europe, and Syria has been a regular participant in the fair since the 1980s, noting the significance of the Spanish and European market on the global tourism map.
Head of the Federation of Tourism Chambers, eng. Talal Khudair, said that the Federation has participated for the second time in the 44th session of the ' FITUR Tourism Fair,' with the aim of opening markets for visitors to Syria.
Director General of the Syrian Transport and Tourism Company, Fayez Mansour, noted that the company participates in all the events and activities carried out by the Ministry, within the framework of seeking to stimulate foreign tourism to Syria.
He stressed that the company will display its affiliated tourist facilities in addition to the tourist areas that can attract European visitors.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency