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All of this week there has been the 6th Muscat International Film Festival, which comes to a close this weekend.
The festival has been plagued by low-attendance all week. I'd say that this is probably something to do with the fact that it's incredibly difficult to find any information on the festival. The official website, www.muscatfilmfestival.org is actually very good, but as is seemingly par for the course here, the webmaster for the site has yet to master SEO. A Google search for "Muscat International Film Festival" does not return a link to the above mentioned official website until the 8th page of results. Which is quite frankly terrible! Who is still searching for a website on the 8th page of Google results?!
Anyway, there are three days left of movies, and then the closing ceremony on Saturday. You may see the schedule here. The movies start at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm and the main venue for the festival is the Al Bahja Cinema up past the Airport, however alternative venues are to be found at SQU, The Cultural Club and the College of Law - But having said that, there's only stuff left at the Al Bahja Cinema.
So if you are bored today, tomorrow or the day after in the afternoon or evening, why not check out the film festival and expand your horizons a little? :)
le fin.
6th Muscat International Film Festival
Reviewed by Sythe
on
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Rating:
Reviewed by Sythe
on
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Rating:
ARRGGHH!!!! I would have liked to have gone to that but B is off to Dubai this arvo so I have the boys all weekend. Typical!!!
ReplyDeleteI had doubts about your SEO claim, so I tested it. MIFF comes up as the fourth result on Google, and the first on Bing.
ReplyDeleteSythe, I think you're being somewhat gernerous in your description of the website. Half of the navigation buttons don't work and beyond "being shown at various locations around Muscat" there is no details as to where anything is being shown! The best you get is when you download the schedule which has location names such as Al Bahja Cinema (Easy), Sultan Qaboos University (Where at SQU??), College of Law (No idea)and Cultural Club(Again no idea).
ReplyDeleteHow difficult would it be to put a contact number, email, directions, or god forbid a map on the website!!!!
It's probably a good thing it was buried on page 8 of Google because you'll get more sense out of the other seven pages. Reminds me of the question "if a tree falls down in a forest and there is no one present to witness it, does it make a sound??" But then again I enjoy philosophical conumdrums, but not half arsed work.
TI3GIB - I promise, I googled the quoted search term, and it only came up on the 8th page when I did. I just did again and it's the same. I don't use google.om though....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/search?q=Muscat+International+Film+Festival&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
James - The Contact Us link works, and the numbers get answered, I spoke to a very nice lady, it was a shame she just didn't know anything other than that it was at Markez Al Bhaja, and to call a different number (which she gave me) for more info. The number was engaged the 2 times I dialled it.
ReplyDeleteDon't like the website? Maybe you should just leave Oman!
ReplyDeleteRunning away from a problem never solved anything, but hey if it works for you I would say stick with it.
ReplyDeleteAt least with constructive critism the website builder will understand where he/she has failed and maybe next time they won't make the mistakes. You'll note that I didn't say the website is crap (It isn't), but it doesn't do what it should, ie. working navigation and a one stop shop of everything a potential visitor would need to know. Add in that,decent SEO (which can be hard at times), possibly even social networking and then maybe next year we will all know about the Muscat Film Festival before it finished!
I had no idea it was on. Then a friend said Amitabh Bachan was in town. So I asked another why - and yes the Muscat Film Festrival was just finishing. More publicity - months in advance would be good and also lots of obscure English films
ReplyDeleteSo true. I read an HUGE spread in the local papers about the film festival and NOT once in the article did it give you a website or mention where and when the films would be showing. What a disgrace to the filmmakers.
ReplyDeleteI suspect Omanization has a lot to do with the inability to organize, advertise and do any PR work at all.
Not even my Omani colleagues knew about the festival when I brought them the schedule i eventually found on the net after digging and digging and digging.
As far as the SQU activities go..there is no INFO on where to go, how to get there, and does the workshop really start at 10pm !!???
eek...a tip to our lovely Omani friends. Please don't be so lazy, work harder and be competent.
ah actually one more thing..this poor information reminds me of all the times I have rung Oman Tel for a phone number and they gave me either a FAX number or a number of a completely different company. Or if i was really lucky they would just hang up on me when after spelling the name i was looking for 5 times, they still didn't understand English ..they yes just hang up. Pick up their pay check and hope to get married and fall asleep under a tree. Ah...Saudi...i mean Oman.
ReplyDeleteOther comments for the website builder if he wants to go crazy.......
ReplyDeleteTell us what language the film is in?
Does it have subtitles - if so what languages??
How about a brief synopsis of the film so we know what it is about?
Link it to external sites such as the International Movie Database - It will improve the sites ranking!!!
For instance the Morrocan film The Man Who Sold the Word can be seen here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1318518/
Then maybe you will have a site you can be proud of.
Oh a while I am on a roll, just coz it is a site about Oman, doesn't mean it was done by an Omani.
ReplyDeleteI have had the misfortune of seeing work done for an Omani business by a 'professional' design house in Europe that was far worse than this. The Client has since had an Omani member of staff rebuild it and it 100 times better.
You moaning gits!
ReplyDeleteIf you dont like it, leave!
(a la Eternally Distracted style, where apparently no one is allowed to express dissatisfaction with anything).
dear Anonynous from Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThat is bure i mean pure B.S. ....if you don't like it leave.. NO. We are staying forever. And we are offering constructive ideas for our lovely hosts.
Oman needs to improve it's PR. I mean look at Dubai. ...Dubai Incorporated. It is too much about PR. Sadly Oman can't even get general daily info at. What the heck is going on here?
I love it in Oman and I will not be promted to react to someone who merely drinks and falls asleep at work and collects his bay check i mean pay check and goes home to England or where ever and says Oman is perfect. I am guessing you are a Brit..using GIT. Git some of this you wanker.
I am bored of Brits in a coma who try to act like they have any connection to the ill fated British Empire and the awesome country called Oman. Most Brits currently in Oman are east london wanna be's.
And far from London even if that.
No self respecting Londoner or educated Brit would dare post an Al Sharpton like comment. If you don't like it leave on a board monitored by the state.
Oman is fab. I just wish I could do all the PR for all the events and finally be able to afford to rent a villa up in Qurm Heights and own a real vehicle...even a mini cooper.
I am not a part of the problem like Anonymous4:51PM is...i am part of the solution.
peace to all that is rad