The Social Film Week opened on Sunday, 14 September, at the Conference Hall. The event is organised by the Centre for Community Service and Continuing Education in collaboration with the Omani Society for Cinema, under the patronage of Dr. Ali bin Hussein Al Balushi, Director of the Centre.
The four-day programme features film screenings and critical discussions highlighting social issues through the lens of cinema. It brings together a distinguished group of young Omani filmmakers, alongside academics, critics and those with an interest in the visual arts.
Held under the theme “Cinema Speaks Society”, the week underscores the vital role of the seventh art in portraying and re-imagining social issues. By combining screenings with critical dialogue, it creates a space that extends beyond visual enjoyment to awareness, understanding and analysis.
The initiative aims to showcase the creativity of young Omani filmmakers and to demonstrate their ability to address human and social issues from diverse aesthetic and intellectual perspectives. It also seeks to reinforce the role of cinema as a cultural and intellectual tool within the University and the wider community.
The week opened with the evening entitled “A Woman in the Mirrors of Cinema”, featuring the films Ashes by Suleiman Al-Khalili and Al-Banjri by Musa Al-Kindi, followed by a critical discussion led by writer Amal Al-Saidi.
The second evening, “Forgotten Margins”, will present Illusion by Issa Al-Subhi and Dirty Feet by Talib Mohammed Al-Balushi, with filmmaker Hussein Al-Alawi providing critical commentary.
Under the title “A Voice Unheard”, the third evening will screen Clouds by Muna Al-Musafir and Cylinder by Surour Al-Khalili, with filmmaker Anwar Al-Ruzaiqi leading a critical reading on issues of freedom and identity.
The programme concludes on Wednesday with “Childhood and Cinema”, featuring Burning Souls by Yaqoub Al-Khanjari and A Child’s Cry by Saleh Al-Muqeimi. Dr. Salim Al-Mamari will deliver a critical reading on the use of imagery in addressing childhood issues.
Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Rahima bint Mubarak Al-Jabri, Head of the Community Service Section, affirmed that the Centre’s decision to organise Social Film Week under this theme stems from its firm belief in the University’s role as an interactive platform that extends beyond academia, engages with social issues, and contributes to shaping a more mature and responsible collective awareness.
Social Film Week is expected to be a distinctive cultural event on SQU’s calendar, where art meets dialogue and cinema meets awareness, reaffirming the power of the image to mirror society and inspire change.