Monday 21 / September / 2026
Amman: The Omani film 'Rooted' by director Sultan Al Qamshouhi is being screened as part of the eleventh edition of the Jordan International Film Festival, organised by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture and running until 24 September.
The film’s participation opens a window onto a young Omani cinematic experience at a time when Omani cinema is enjoying a growing presence at Arab and international festivals.
Through its participation in the festival, “Rooted” continues its journey beyond the Sultanate of Oman, having already found its way to a number of Arab cinematic events, as it was included in the list of short films participating in the Casablanca Arab Film Festival in its seventh edition for 2026, confirming the expanding reach of the Omani experience on the Arab cinematic scene.
The film also took part in the Dhofar International Film Festival, where it featured in the narrative films programme, in an edition that brought together works from the Sultanate of Oman, Portugal, England, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“Rooted” also enjoys a distinctiveness tied to its embodiment of the local environment in the Sultanate of Oman. On the technical level, the film draws attention to a number of elements that constitute its cinematic language, foremost among them the visual treatment that integrates with the presence of the Omani environment as part of the fabric of the tale.
Colour grading lends the image its visual identity and contributes to building its atmospheres, while editing plays a role in governing the rhythm of the narrative and its transitions, in keeping with the nature of the short film, which requires economy in image and time.
This is clearly demonstrated by the director’s attentiveness to preparation and to the visual details in constructing a cohesive cinematic world, in which image and story integrate in conveying the event.
“Rooted” represents an experience that harnesses the potential of the short film to condense the tale and to rely on image, detail and rhythm in presenting a vision that springs from the specificity of the local environment while at the same time reaching out towards the Arab viewer.
The film’s presence at the Jordan International Film Festival acquires particular importance, as this event brings together experiences from a range of cinematic directions and milieus, with the participation of artists, directors, academics, critics and Arab and foreign guests.
The current edition of the festival received more than two thousand films from various countries around the world, which were viewed and assessed by specialised committees, with eight films selected to participate in the official competition, alongside six films produced by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture and six films created by students of Jordanian universities.
