This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR ECA - AROMANOWSKI; ECA/PE - LPEREZ, 
ECA/PE/C/CV - DSCHUMAN AND SCOHEN; ECA/PE/V/R/N - LMOODY AND 
SABED-KOTOB; NEA/PPD AFERNANDEZ AND PAGNEW, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O.  12958:  N/A 
TAGS: KPAO SCUL OEXC IZ MU
SUBJECT:  AMERICAN FILMS SHOWCASED IN ARAB CULTURAL CAPITAL 
 
¶1.  Summary:  This year's Muscat Film Festival, January 21- 
28, was held in conjunction with the month-long Muscat 
Festival to showcase Muscat as this year's Arab Cultural 
Capital.  Taken together, these events provided an ideal 
platform for the Embassy to reach a substantial Omani 
audience numbering in the tens of thousands from all over 
Oman.  End summary. 
 
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U.S. Films and Expert a Hit 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The U.S. film entries, "Capote" and "Good Night and Good 
Luck," were popular with the largely youthful audiences. 
Dr. Richard Pena, Director of the New York Film Society and 
a professor of film at Columbia University, reached young 
Omani film and media professionals by participating in the 
opening and closing ceremonies, holding ongoing informal and 
ad hoc discussions among Festival participants including the 
judges and several young Arab film-makers, and by watching 
eight daily film screenings. 
 
¶3.  Mr. Pena's program included a public lecture on the 
history of U.S. cinema and on U.S. avant-garde film; a live 
interview with Oman Radio on American film and on the 
development of an Omani national film industry; broad and 
far-reaching discussion at a representational event with 
members of the Omani Film Society, private film producers, 
and Ministry of Information officials; and the opportunity 
to introduce the two U.S. films at their Festival 
screenings.  Throughout all activities, Mr. Pena gave 
guidance and direction to Festival organizers, privately 
providing them a professional critique of the Omani feature 
film, "Al Boom," and providing guidance, encouragement and 
mentoring to a number of young Arabic directors and 
producers at the Festival. 
 
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Media Coverage 
-------------- 
 
¶4.  In addition to an Oman Radio interview (estimated 
listenership:  300,000) and broad press coverage of the 
Festival itself, a member of the Omani Film society who 
works as a free-lance journalist wrote an article for the 
government-owned Arabic daily "Oman" newspaper (circulation 
22,000) on Mr. Pena's lecture and describing the American 
films, making extensive use of the Embassy-supplied press 
kit. 
 
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Logistical Hiccups 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  Unfortunately, the Film Festival was plagued by various 
problems.  The schedule appeared only days before the 
festival opening; expedited customs clearance and re- 
plattering of the films was delayed due to the lack of 
follow-through.  Other Embassies participating in the 
Festival experienced similar difficulties.  While we believe 
that the Festival continues to offer the potential for 
significant outreach to the Omani public, we also believe 
our interaction and cooperation with the Film Society should 
include NGO management and capacity building. 
 
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Iraqi Participation 
------------------- 
 
¶6.  A serendipitous off-shoot of the Embassy's participation 
in the Festival was the chance for Emboffs to meet the 
Director of the Baghdad Film Festival, Mr. Tahir Abid 
Muslim, head of the NGO No Borders Iraqi Cinematographers, 
founded in 2004 after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and well 
as the first female Saudi film-maker and IV alumna, Haifaa 
Al-Mansour, whose film "Women Without Shadows" won several 
prizes, including the golden khanjar (a traditional Omani 
dagger) for best film.  Muslim welcomed USG interest in the 
Baghdad film festival, held for the first time in December 
¶2005. 
 
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Feedback 
-------- 
 
¶8.  Feedback from Festival participants and the overall 
audience were consistently positive and enthusiastic.  An 
Omani film producer (and graduate of USC's film program) 
called "Capote" the best film he had seen over the past 
year.  Several of the young Arab directors and Festival 
participants thanked the Embassy for bringing Mr. Pena, and 
for his role in providing guidance to them in their 
endeavors.  The synergies from this interaction will 
undoubtedly play out over the next several years, perhaps 
even by bringing these young directors' works to Festivals 
and Film Series organized by Mr. Pena and the Film Society 
of Lincoln Center. 
 
------------------- 
Internet Commentary 
------------------- 
 
¶9.  A posting on the Omani Internet forum, "The Muscatis," 
(www.muscati.blogspot.com) said:  ". They (the Festival 
organizers) have obviously gone to the American, British and 
French embassy (sic) and asked them to supply movies for the 
festival...  the U.S. Embassy was good enough to give two 
Oscar-caliber movies from the current season."  Another 
posting complained of the poor scheduling: "Tomorrow 
"Goodnight and Good Luck" will show at 8pm in one cinema and 
. "Capote" will play at 10pm in the other cinema.  There's 
no way you can watch both because of the scheduling and of 
the distance.  It really sucks to schedule the two most high- 
profile movies of the whole festival on the same night like 
that.  Especially when Philip Seymour Hoffman is the front- 
runner to win the best actor Oscar this year." 
 
BALTIMORE