World premiere of Empty Quarter documentary today
MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, will be the Chief Guest at the world premiere of a dramatic documentary in Muscat today.
Crossing the Empty Quarter tells the story of how two Omanis and a Briton battled on foot and by camel 1,300km across the Rub Al Khali or (Empty Quarter), the largest sand desert on earth.
Their journey recreated the first recorded crossing in 1930 by an Omani, Sheikh Saleh bin Kalut, and an Englishman Bertram Thomas –an achievement that made headlines around the world.
The 70-minute film captures the drama as Mohamed Al Zedjali, Amour Al Wahaibi and Mark Evans struggle to follow in their footsteps.
It shows how the team battled to overcome daunting challenges during their 49-day journey from Salalah in the Governorate of Dhofar across Saudi Arabia to Doha in Qatar.
Historic journey
It was the first time in 85 years that the historic journey by Sheikh Saleh and Bertram Thomas had been recreated in its entirety.
The film shows the expedition struggling with their camels as they battle through the 400-metre-high sand dunes of the Rub Al Khali.
It follows the team as they are battered by vicious sandstorms and then captures the mounting tension as the expedition desperately search for wells to water their camels.
All the members of the expedition will be at the premiere to be held at the Vox cinema in Qurum, Muscat. The film will go on general release to the public from 18th May at the Vox Cinema at Muscat City Centre in A’Seeb, Muscat.
The film shot in Ultra High Definition (4k) contains breathtaking aerial views of Rub Al Khali never before captured in such quality.
Speaking ahead of the Premiere, Expedition Member Mohamed Al Zedjali, training manager with Outward Bound Oman, said: “I am hoping this film will send a message to inspire Omani youth.
“And the message is that Omanis are always able to endure difficulties, not just endure them, but overcome them always. In our 49-day challenge we demonstrated that there are times when you want to give up, but, positive thinking, having a plan, sticking to it, working together, will yield success”.
Further special showings of the film for school students are planned for September 2017, after the summer break.
Expedition leader Mark Evans MBE, Director of Outward Bound Oman said: “The film of the Crossing the Empty Quarter Expedition shows how challenge helps devel- op people’s life skills and capacity. Through Outward Bound in Oman the government is offering great opportunities for young people to take on challenges and so develop themselves.
“The first of three national outdoor training centres opens in August this year, which will enable us work with substantially greater numbers of young people in the future, taking them out of their comfort zones, and helping develop key skills to succeed in life”.
Mark Evans has written a book about the expedition “Crossing the Empty Quarter – in the Footsteps of Bertram Thomas”.
Combining extensive photography with a detailed text. The 196page book is a unique exploration of the region as it was eighty years ago, and as it is today.