From March 26th to 31st the 10th Muscat International Film Festival took place in Oman. 95 documentaries and drama films were screened. The festival, directed by Khalid Abdul Rahim al-Zadjali, is considered one of the most open for north African films, after the Alexandria and Cairo festivals.
Algeria did well at Muscat, winning three awards and a special mention. Yasmine Chouikh’s feature “Jusqu’à la fin des temps” won the Grand Prix (El Khindjar al dahabi), having won the Grand Prix at the Annaba festival a few days earlier. Djillali Boudjemaa won the Best Actor award for his performance as Ali in the same film. “Jusqu’à la fin des temps” also won the Critics’ Prize. Finally Mohamed Yargui’s short film “Je te promets” got a special mention.
On the Moroccan side, Raouf Sabahi’s “Hayat” won Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Photography. A special tribute was also paid to Abdelhak Mantarch, chairman of the Rabat Festival of Auteur Cinema.
Khalil Zaârou’s “Nour” (Lebanon) and Rashid Mahdaoui’s “Writing on Snow” (Palestine) also distinguished themselves by winning the second and third prizes after “Jusqu’à la fin des temps”.
Sources: dia-algerie, medias24, elwatan, muscatdaily
