Muscat: The second edition of 'Dhofar International Film Festival' kicked off today in the Wilayat of Salalah.

According to Oman News Agency, the festival is organized by Oman Film Society (OFS) in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Dhofar Municipality. The event, which runs from 6 to 9 September 2026, will see the review of 32 films from 16 countries that qualified for the official competition.

The opening ceremony was held at Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah, under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan bin Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar. Anwar bin Khamis Al Ruzaiqi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman Film Society, stated that the festival seeks to encourage young talents and highlight the Sultanate of Oman's natural, cultural, and human resources that can make the country a promising destination for film production.

The festival comprises four main competitions: the International Narrative Competition, with 13 films, the Omani Narrative Competition with 5 films, the International Documentary Competition with 6 films, and the Omani Documentary Competition featuring 8 films.

The festival also emphasizes the training aspect by refining the capabilities of young Omani youth and offering them an opportunity for direct interaction with experts in the film industry. The programme includes training workshops in cinematography and the use of folk tales in cinema production and public film screenings, in addition to a dialogue session titled "Biography and Career".