Omani Filmmaker Judges Babylon Animation Festival
Fahad al Hadhrami served as member and rapporteur of the international jury at the sixth Babylon Animation Film Festival in Iraq.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Animation
Omani filmmaker Fahad al Hadhrami served as a member and rapporteur of the international jury at the sixth Babylon Animation Film Festival 2026, held in Iraq. The festival's official selection included 37 films.
Why it matters
The festival drew entries from a dozen countries, offering a regional showcase for animation filmmakers across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Al Hadhrami's role reflects the growing participation of Gulf-based filmmakers in regional animation events.
The official selection comprised 37 films from 12 countries, including Oman, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, Ukraine, Russia, Tatarstan, Yemen, Tunisia and Palestine. Total submission numbers and selection rates were not reported.
The players
Fahad al Hadhrami
Omani filmmaker who served as member and rapporteur of the festival's international jury.
Al Mustaqbal University
Iraqi institution in Babylon Governorate that hosts the Babylon Animation Film Festival under its auspices.
The details
Al Hadhrami served as a member and rapporteur of the international jury, which was chaired by Dr Maher Abdul Majeed and included Dr Nidal Abdel Khalek of Lebanon and Ramak Amin Kazemi of Iran. The Iranian film It's A Gray Gray World won first place, while the Iraqi film Ai Studio, directed by Hisham al Shammari, received the Jury Award.
Timeline
• 2026: Sixth Babylon Animation Film Festival held in Iraq under the auspices of Al Mustaqbal University
Market Dynamics
The sixth edition of the Babylon Animation Film Festival continues its role as a regional showcase for Arab and Iranian animation, with competing entries drawn from across the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia. The festival's growth into a 37-film official selection places it among a handful of recurring animation events in the region.
Animation festivals like Babylon provide regional audiences with access to films from across the Middle East and beyond that may not receive wide commercial distribution. The extraction does not indicate whether the winning or selected films will be screened publicly or made available online.
The takeaway
Regional festivals such as the Babylon Animation Film Festival offer a window into animation produced across the Middle East and North Africa. Following such events can help audiences discover filmmakers outside the major Western studio circuit.
Further reading
Explore more coverage in our Animation section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Oman Observer.
