Palestinian stories take centre stage at Amman Film Festival
July 8, 2024
Closing Awards Ceremony of the AIFF 5th Edition
July 12, 2024
Amman, 9 July 2024
“Amman Film Industry Days,” held in the framework of Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film, concluded today. Over six days, it hosted a variety of activities including workshops, masterclasses, panels and pitching platforms for projects.
This year, 16 projects participated in the platforms, including four in the section “Development – Awal Film” dedicated to first-time projects by Jordanian or Arab directors residing in Jordan. Additionally, seven Arab projects participated in the “Development” platform and five projects in the “Post-Production”, all from six countries: Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Algeria, Iraq and Yemen. The project owners received hands-on training to pitch their projects in front of a jury of experts and professionals: Amin Matalqa, Nicolas Wadimoff, Alice Kharoubi, Jana Wehbe and Jihan El-Tahri. Participants competed over 23 awards granted by 19 partners, with an estimated combined value of $200,000, which are distributed between jury-selected awards and others chosen by the partners in this third edition of the “Amman Film Market”.
During Amman Film Industry Days, workshops began in June with a film criticism workshop by Rasha Hosny and continued throughout the festival with five specialized workshops presented by film experts: Hady Zaccak on using archives in documentary films; Bonnie Williams on mastering the art of festival networking; Thibaut Bracq on film festival strategy; Ashraf Barhoum on acting for a reason; and Alexandra Viets on script majlis.
The public masterclasses embraced this year’s festival motto “Our Stories, Our Narratives”. The first session featured Egyptian artist Bushra Rozza and Tunisian actor and director Dhafer L’Abidine who shared their journeys in the acting world; the second session featured Palestinian actress and director Hiam Abbas where we delved into her rich experience in the film industry, from her early beginnings to her current status as an international actress, moderated by Jihene Al Turki; the third session was with “Watermelon Pictures” in a live broadcast via Zoom with Alana Hadid and with the presence of Munir Atalla, this discussion was moderated by Fadi Haddad, where they addressed the role of the creative industry in advocating against cultural distortion.
At today’s award ceremony held at the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, Festival director Nada Doumani stated, “The fact that four projects which had won awards in previous editions are now being showcased at the Festival is the biggest proof of the success of the pitching platforms. Additionally, the large attendance at all the activities is another indicator of the success of the events targeting professionals.” Bassam Al-Asaad, Head of Amman Film Industry Days, commented, ” We are excited to see how these initiatives can empower Arab filmmakers to tell their stories with authenticity and impact.”
The jury commented: “We are here to celebrate new and first-timers: Awal Film! Emerging voices standing firmly against erosion of our narratives and the preservation of culture. We are celebrating the diversity of voices and forms, with tones ranging from serious to humoristic; some are character-driven and intimate personal portraits, while others are collective and social ones.”
The results were as follows:
Development Awards:
- “Al-Madeeneh 2008” (Narrative – Yemen) Directed by: Yousef Assabahi, Produced by: Ala’a Amer.
Won a cash prize of $5,000 for an Arab project in development, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan.
- “Dwellers of the Cabins” (Documentary – Egypt/Qatar) Directed by: Hind Bakr, Produced by: Tamer Nadi, Hind Bakr.
Won a cash prize of $6,500 for a project in development, presented by IEFTA.
- “Amal” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Khaled Sweidan, Produced by: Rahmeh Al-Shammas.
Won a cash prize of $5,000 for a Jordanian “Awal Film” project in development, presented by Ghiath and Nadia Sukhtian Foundation.
- “Searching for Fareed” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Yazan Taiseer, Produced by: Noor Arafeh.
Won a production services prize worth $30,000 for a Jordanian film in development, presented by Slate.
- “Amal” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Khaled Al-Khaldi, Produced by: Rahma Al-Shammas.
Won a sound design prize worth $20,000 presented by the DTS.
Post-production:
- “Son of the Streets” (Documentary – Palestine/Poland/Qatar) Directed by: Mohammed Almughanni, Produced by: Glib Lukianets.
Won a cash prize of $5,000 for a project in the post-production stage, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan.
- “Son of the Streets” (Documentary – Palestine/Poland/Qatar) Directed by: Mohammed Almughanni, Produced by: Glib Lukianets.
Won a prize for sound design and mixing services worth $15,000 for a post-production stage project, presented by Unison Studio.
- “Donkey Boys” (Documentary – Palestine) Directed by: Ahmad Al Bazz, Produced by: Ameen Nayfeh
Won a prize for special consultancy sessions and free memberships for one year for a documentary project in the post-production stage, presented by the DAE
- “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo” (Narrative – Egypt/Saudi Arabia) Directed by: Khaled Mansour, Produced by: Rasha Hosny, Mohamed Hefzy.
Won a prize for visual identity services and DCP services worth $7,000 for a post-production stage project, presented by Creative Media Solutions.
The event also included the Amman Film Market, where filmmakers had individual meetings with professionals, allowing them to showcase their projects and win cash or in-kind awards. The winners were chosen by the partners as follows:
Market Awards:
- “Yumna” (Narrative – Jordan) Directed by: Yahya Alabdallah, Produced by: Huda Al-Kadhimi & Muna Al-Kadhimi.
Won a cash prize of $10,000 for a project in development, presented by Arab Radio and Television Network (ART).
- “Scent of The Dead” (Narrative – Jordan) Directed by: Mohammad Khabour, Produced by: Hadeel Lawi.
Won a consultancy prize for artistic direction in the pre-production stage for a project in development worth $15,000, presented by Cinevida Media Group.
- “Scent of The Dead” (Narrative – Jordan) Directed by: Mohammad Khabour, Produced by: Hadeel Lawi.
Won a consultancy prize for music for a project in development or post-production worth $6,000, presented by Oticons.
- “Al-Madeeneh 2008” (Narrative – Yemen) Directed by: Yousef Assabahi, Produced by: Ala’a Amer.
Won a consultancy prize for music for a project in development or post-production worth $6,000, presented by Oticons.
- “A House for Expats” (Narrative – Egypt) Directed by: Naji Ismail, Produced by: Omar Manjouneh.
Won a consultancy prize for screenplay writing for a project in development worth $5,000, presented by Sard – Mariam Naoum.
- “Al-Madeeneh 2008” (Narrative – Yemen) Directed by: Yousef Assabahi, Produced by: Ala’a Amer.
Won a prize for participation in CineGouna Platform 2024, presented by El Gouna Film Festival.
- “The Nablus Runner” (Documentary – Algeria/France/Italy) Directed by: Haïcha Ladrouz, Produced by: Rachid Bouchareb
Won a prize for sound design and mixing in the post-production stage worth $13,000, presented by Swish Audio House.
- “The Nablus Runner” (Documentary – Algeria/France/Italy) Directed by: Haïcha Ladrouz, Produced by: Rachid Bouchareb.
Won a prize for musical composition for a post-production stage project worth $20,000, presented by Swish Audio House.
- “Al-Madeeneh 2008” (Narrative – Yemen) Directed by: Yousef Assabahi, Produced by: Ala’a Amer.
Won a prize for film coloring, visual effects, and DCP for a post-production stage project worth $39,000, presented by Rum Pictures.
- “Donkey Boys” (Documentary – Palestine) Directed by: Ahmad Al Bazz, Produced by: Ameen Nayfeh.
Won a prize for participation in the Mosaic Lab for a post-production stage project, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan.
- “Searching for Fareed” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Yazan Taiseer, Produced by: Noor Arafeh
Won a color correction prize worth $15,000, presented by Film Lab Palestine.
- “Searching for Fareed” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Yazan Taiseer, Produced by: Noor Arafeh
Won a consultancy prize for screenplay writing for a project in development, presented by Alexandra Viets.
- “Al-Madeeneh 2008” (Narrative – Yemen) Directed by: Yousef Assabahi, Produced by: Ala’a Amer
Won a project development services prize worth $10,000 for a project in development, presented by Pioneers for Production and Distribution.
- “Searching for Fareed” (Documentary – Jordan) Directed by: Yazan Taiseer, Produced by: Noor Arafeh
Won the “Date with Arab Cinema in France” prize for this year, presented by the French Institute. A prize for a Jordanian project in development to travel to France to attend the Noisy-le-Sec Festival 2024.
The Amman Film Industry Days made it possible with the support of long-standing partners, among which: THE RAINBOW THEATER – OLIVEWOOD FILM STUDIOS – THE ROYAL FILM COMMISSION – JORDAN – ARAB WINGS – HONGQI (AKAMAS AUTOMOTIVE)
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