Muscat – Omani short film Dry Leaves, directed by Dalila Ali Nasser al Darii, has won wide recognition at Arab and international film festivals, marking a significant milestone for the sultanate’s growing cinema sector.
This month, the 11-minute film won the award for best actress at the Tetouan International Film and Literature Festival in Morocco, held from December 9 to 13. At the Alexandria International Contemporary Film Festival in Egypt, held from December 20 to 22, it was awarded for best screenplay and cinematography, highlighting the film’s narrative and visual excellence.
In an interview with Muscat Daily, Dalila said the film is set in a modest farming village and follows the story of a girl with a mental disability who lives with her mother, a woman unable to provide emotional support. The girl moves through life unaware of her surroundings until she faces a life-altering crisis when she becomes pregnant without understanding what has happened to her or why.
Instead of receiving protection, the girl is further isolated as her mother restricts her freedom, intensifying her psychological and physical suffering. Dalila said the film reflects social realities such as ignorance, abuse and violence against women, presented through a restrained cinematic language.
The director described Dry Leaves as one of the most challenging experiences of her career, noting that the subject demanded sensitivity and ethical responsibility. “I wanted to present the suffering honestly and simply, without direct discourse or exaggeration,” she said, adding that cinema can communicate pain through images and silence before words.
She informed that the response from festival audiences and juries exceeded her expectations and reinforced her commitment to making films that engage viewers and encourage social dialogue.
Earlier, Dry Leaves received a special mention from the jury at the 6th International Women’s Film Festival – Through Their Eyes – in Tunisia, the award for best screenplay at the Arab World Educational Short Film Festival in Morocco, and the bronze medal at the Sumer Film Festival for Short Films. It also won the award for best actress at the Noor International Film Festival in Casablanca.
Commenting on Omani cinema, Dalila said the sector requires stronger institutional support, sustainable funding, training programmes and wider local and international screening platforms. She identified limited financial resources, weak infrastructure and restricted distribution opportunities as the main challenges facing filmmakers.
She informed that Dry Leaves will continue participating in upcoming international festivals and that she aims to contribute to the development of a contemporary Omani film movement with global reach, including the production of feature films for an international audience.
Addressing women who are interested in cinema, she said, “Do not wait for permission to begin, and do not allow limitations to define your ambitions. Women are capable of leadership and creative decision-making in every field, including film.”
