Amman Film Industry Days announces winners of pitching platforms

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The AIFF’s partners have granted awards, both in-kind and in cash, totaling $200,000 to the winners.

The Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), the industrial arm of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), concluded its activities by announcing the winners from the pitching platforms.

Over six days, AFID hosted a series of events including masterclasses, seminars and discussions with directors and industry experts.

This year, 16 projects participated in the platforms, including four in the “Development – Awal Film” section for first-time projects by Jordanian or Arab directors residing in Jordan. Additionally, seven Arab projects competed in the “Development” platform and five in the “Post-Production” platform, representing six countries: Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Algeria, Iraq and Yemen. Project owners received hands-on training to pitch their projects to a jury of experts and professionals, including Amin Matalqa, Nicolas Wadimoff, Alice Kharoubi, Jana Wehbe and Jihan El-Tahri. Participants vied for 23 awards provided by 19 partners, with a combined value of approximately $200,000, distributed between jury-selected and partner-chosen awards in this third edition of the “Amman Film Market.”

Workshops began in June with a film criticism workshop by Rasha Hosny and continued throughout the festival with specialised sessions led by film experts: Hady Zaccak on using archives in documentary films; Bonnie Williams on festival networking; Thibaut Bracq on film festival strategy; Ashraf Barhoum on acting; and Alexandra Viets on script majlis.

Public masterclasses aligned with this year’s festival motto, “Our Stories, Our Narratives.” Sessions featured Egyptian artist Bushra Rozza and Tunisian actor/director Dhafer L’Abidine, Palestinian actress/director Hiam Abbas and “Watermelon Pictures” with Alana Hadid and Munir Atalla, discussing the role of the creative industry in combating cultural distortion.

At the award ceremony held at the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, Festival director Nada Doumani said: “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 activities is another indicator of the success of the events targeting professionals.”

Bassam Al-Asaad, Head of Amman Film Industry Days, added: “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 the 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.”

In the Development category, several projects received notable awards. Al-Madeeneh 2008 (Narrative – Yemen) by Yousef Assabahi won a $5,000 cash prize for an Arab project in development, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan. Dwellers of the Cabins (Documentary – Egypt/Qatar) by Hind Bakr received a $6,500 cash prize for a project in development, presented by IEFTA. Amal (Documentary – Jordan) by Khaled Sweidan earned a $5,000 cash prize for a Jordanian “Awal Film” project in development, presented by the Ghiath and Nadia Sukhtian Foundation. Additionally, Searching for Fareed (Documentary – Jordan) by Yazan Taiseer was awarded a production services prize worth $30,000 for a Jordanian film in development, presented by Slate. Furthermore, Amal (Documentary – Jordan) by Khaled Al-Khaldi won a sound design prize worth $20,000, presented by DTS.

In the Post-production category, Son of the Streets (Documentary – Palestine/Poland/Qatar) by Mohammed Almughanni, won a $5,000 cash prize for a project in the post-production stage, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan. The same project also received a prize for sound design and mixing services worth $15,000, presented by Unison Studio. Donkey Boys (Documentary – Palestine) by Ahmad Al Bazz was awarded special consultancy sessions and free memberships for one year for a documentary project in the post-production stage, presented by the DAE. Additionally, Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo (Narrative – Egypt/Saudi Arabia) by Khaled Mansour won a prize for visual identity services and DCP services worth $7,000, 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: In the Development category, Al-Madeeneh 2008 won a cash prize of $5,000 for an Arab project in development, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan. Dwellers of the Cabins received a cash prize of $6,500 for a project in development, presented by IEFTA. Amal won a cash prize of $5,000 for a Jordanian “Awal Film” project in development, presented by the Ghiath and Nadia Sukhtian Foundation. Searching for Fareed was awarded a production services prize worth $30,000 for a Jordanian film in development, presented by Slate. Additionally, Amal won a sound design prize worth $20,000, presented by DTS.

In the Post-production category, Son of the Streets won a cash prize of $5,000 for a project in the post-production stage, presented by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan. The same project also received a prize for sound design and mixing services worth $15,000, presented by Unison Studio. Donkey Boys was awarded special consultancy sessions and free memberships for one year for a documentary project in the post-production stage, presented by the DAE. Additionally, Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo won a prize for visual identity services and DCP services worth $7,000, presented by Creative Media Solutions.