Sunday 28 / September / 2025
Muscat: An open forum on Women Empowerment Beyond Borders was organised as part of the EU Film Festival 2025.
The discussion was held during the Gulf premiere of the Italian film Francesca and Giovanni, a cinematic tribute to the resilience and achievements of women.
The distinguished panel featured Booker Prize winner Jokha Al Harthy, activist and advocate Reem Al Zadjali, filmmaker and festival director Sudha Sha, and Italian director Simmona Ricky.
The session was inaugurated Pierluigi D’Elia, Ambassador of Italy to Oman in the presence of chief guest Ibrahim Bani Uraba, Director General of Arts at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Loura Al Siyabi, Head of the Cinema Department.
In her address, Reem Al Zadjali highlighted her work as an advocate for female empowerment, emphasising the transformative role of education in Oman.
She credited the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his visionary support, which enabled generations of Omani women to thrive in leadership and professional roles.
Jokha Al Harthy reflected on her literary journey, sharing that her storytelling began with the narratives of women who gathered in her grandmother’s home.
She noted that before the oil era, when many Omani men migrated abroad, it was women who sustained families and became the backbone of society, an enduring legacy of resilience.
Speaking about her film Francesca and Giovanni, Simmona Ricky underscored the significance of representing Italy’s pioneering women, including the country’s first female judge and first female prime minister.
The film pays homage to the courage and influence of Italian women who broke barriers across generations.Festival director Sudha Sha concluded the panel by acknowledging the remarkable rise of women filmmakers in the past decade.
She cited the global recognition of works such as Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, and All We Imagine as Light, noting how stories once dismissed or marginalized, such as folklore depicting intelligent women as witches, are now celebrated as narratives of achievement.
She also highlighted how motherhood strength the fighting and surviving spirit, when expressed through creative media, enriches the art of storytelling and inspires audiences worldwide.
The event drew a large audience, who later attended the Gulf premiere of Francesca and Giovanni.
The open forum was praised as a groundbreaking addition to the EU Film Festival in Oman, fostering dialogue on women’s empowerment across cultures and industries.
This year’s EU Film Festival 2025 has been marked by powerful screenings, interactive activities, and the introduction of the open forum format, an initiative that has broadened cultural exchange and reinforced cinema’s role as a catalyst for dialogue and change.
