Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: A documentary about the late 1960s and early 1970s’ Dhofar war tells the story of British troops who aided His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in repelling the rebellion.
Released in 2015, ‘Operation Oman’, revolves around Major Nick Ofield, one of the former soldiers returning to Oman after more than 40 years to tell the untold story of this ‘secret war’.
The film features Ofield visiting his old bases in Dhofar, as well as unseen footage from the war and confidential information about the British involvement, including accounts of the war’s events.
Times of Oman reached producer and director Tristan Ofield for an exclusive interview about the film to learn what inspired him to create this documentary and report never-before revealed information from the British military’s point of view.
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“I grew up listening to stories about Oman. A beautiful, mysterious place full of amazing people. It was the country my parents had met in, and the place where my father, Major Nick Ofield, had served in The Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces during the war. He served for 8 years, starting in 1969,” said Tristan. “The idea to make a documentary came naturally. I could never convince my father to write a book about the war, but he is very good at talking.
“He had always talked about visiting Oman again to find and visit all his old bases to see what he could remember. We talked about it for years but things always got in the way. Finally, I said we had to do it now, otherwise it might never happen. My father asked if I would take my camera to film his visit. That was how it started. The idea to make a documentary evolved from there. The film is really a gift to my father,” he added.
It took Tristan four years to complete the movie, having started filming in 2012. Tristan said he had a budget of OMR 2,506, but it eventually grew to OMR 12,533.
“From filming the documentary to completion, it took me four years. I was working in a computer store by day and then coming home and editing the film at night, trying to find where the story was. Eventually, I focused on three major operations: Jaguar, Cyclops, and Dragon. This enabled me to find the narrative,” said Tristan.
When asked why the Dhofar war was his focus, as opposed to other British wars, he said, “The Dhofar war stands out for several reasons. I think because there was very little political interference. Politicians have their own personal agendas to follow. This war was so secret in Britain that it was able to progress without interference.
“But most importantly, Omanis fought side by side with British troops. Many of those troops learned Arabic to be able to communicate better. There was total trust between them. They became friends. Even now, 40 years later, this friendship still exists. There was a very clear chain of command led by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The Omanis freed their own country,” Tristan added.
In the documentary, Major Ofield stated that if it was not for this war, Oman would not have developed into the country that it is today.
“Had they not cleared the enemy out of here (Oman), the country could not have developed as it has,” he added.
Similarly, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who supported Tristan in his project, said, “We, who were there, were very happy to die for the Sultanate of Oman because they were under threat from Marxism.”
The documentary has been listed as an official selection for the Amsterdam Lift Off Film Festival in the online category.
“I would like to screen the film in Oman one day. Maybe that would be possible, I don’t know. I am sensitive to the fact that not everyone wants to be reminded that there was a war. There is a big difference between advertising a film on Facebook and visiting the country. But if we were to be invited, I would welcome the opportunity to return,” said Tristan.
Information about the film can be obtained at www.operationoman.com. The film can be viewed or the film can be viewed at www.vimeo.com/ondemand/operationoman.
Acclaimed director
Tristan Ofield is an award-winning editor and director of over a dozen documentaries, shorts and feature films. After graduating from the prestigious Bretton Hall in 2003, he went on to co-found Anonymous Room Productions in 2004, completing his first feature film at 24 years of age. 2014 saw Tristan complete two projects: White Lilly, an ambitious sci-fi short that followed a successful crowd funding campaign, and Operation Oman, a personal documentary that documented his father’s return to the region in which he fought in The Dhofar War from 1969-75.
