The young dancers from the Delicious Academy for Dance and Kings welcomed the “Lucifer” actor with his numbers, on which Vivek Oberoi was moved and recalled his days as young dancer performing on stage and that too in Muscat, writes Vinod Raghavan
MUSCAT : THE weeklong European Union Film Festival (EUFF) held in Muscat, Oman, pulled down its curtain after showcasing over a dozen films on Sunday evening amidst distinguished personalities ranging from Bollywood and Omani actors, dignitaries from foreign embassies and movie buffs at the Vox Cinema in Mall of Oman.
During the week-long festival which was first of its kind in the Sultanate of Oman, drew good crowd to watch about 15 films from the participating nine European Union countries viz. France, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Hungary in the posh VOX cinema, was organized by the French Embassy in Oman in collaboration with the International Film Foundation of Oman (IFFO).
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi came down specially for the closing ceremony and enthralled audience with his forthcoming film teaser Mr & Mrs Grey. He was accompanied alongwith with the film producer Shikha Ahluwalia. Omani actor Sami Sarang, who acted in number of Malayalam films including “Raasta” and in Anirban Ray’s short film “Des Pardes” was also invited. Noted Omani singer Jihad Al Raisi also rendered a Bollywood, on which Vivek Oberoi was very much moved and acknowledged his soulful voice.
Speaking at the glittering ceremony, Sudha Sha, President, IFFO, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the embassies, participants, official partner and particularly Vox Cinema. She also thanked the wonderful audience that made the festival a resounding success.
Sha, who has been involved in many film projects since for long, praised the collaborative spirit fostered by Vox Cinema, highlighting the remarkable venue, high-quality technical screens, and exceptional hospitality, and reaffirmed IFFO’s commitment to nurturing global cinematic partnerships.
Qasim Al Sulaimy Vice President of Arabwood welcomed the guests and said, Oman is looking forward for more such film projects to be launched in the near future.
Deputy Ambassador French embassy Luciano, addressing the esteemed invitees, reflected on the successful festival and introduced the final screening of the French film ‘Divertimento’ . Representatives from all nine participating embassies—France, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Hungary—were present at the event, marking the end of a remarkable cultural exchange through cinema.
One of the evening’s highlights was the much-anticipated release of the concept teaser for an exciting anthology movie from Oman, created in collaboration with international partners. This unique project, initiated by Arabwood, aims to explore themes that unite and divide humanity, showcasing diverse stories from across the world. The concept teaser was officially unveiled by the “Company” actor. Arabwood International Patron Dr. Mohamed Khan (Khan Media City, Dubai), proposed anthology production spectrum partner Abdul Aziz Barudgar, and IFFO President Sudha Sha.
Adding to the star-studded night, Vivek Oberoi also released the teaser for his latest film, Mr & Mrs Grey accompanied by producer Shikha Aluwahlia and special guest Cham Majolica, Managing Director of The Diplomatic Club. The dual teaser launches underscored the exciting cinematic developments that lie ahead, both locally and internationally.
Earlier, the young dancers from the Delicious Academy for Dance and Kings welcomed the “Lucifer” actor with his numbers, on which Vivek Oberoi was moved and recalled his days as young dancer performing on stage and that too in Muscat.