Amman Film Industry Days reveals projects and jury members

Broadcast Pro (ME) –  July 19, 2023

The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) has announced the selected projects and jury members, which will participate in the pitching platforms of its industry branch, the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID).

In all three categories, the festival has received 125 submissions from filmmakers across the Arab region, from which 16 films have been selected from seven countries.

Bassam Alasad, Head of Industry at the AIFF, said: “Given the large number of projects submissions, it was a difficult choice for the readers, who took into consideration several factors – such as diversity of narratives – in addition to the quality of the projects submitted. The Industry Days are an important platform from which all professionals can benefit, beyond the selected projects and the awards granted to them.”

Participants will benefit from training to pitch their projects in front of a jury composed of industry professionals, which includes Karim Aitouna (producer), Mehdi Hmili (director), Elias Khlat (director Tripoli Film Festival), Rula Nasser (producer) and Angeliki Vergou (Head of Industry at Thessaloniki International Film Festival).

The winners will receive cash and in-kind awards, generously offered by the AIFF’s partners, for an estimated value of $200,000. The pitching platforms will serve as a launching pad for these projects, allowing them to make valuable connections. They will also take part in the market organised for the second year in a row, through which they will have the opportunity to engage with investors, producers, festivals’ representatives, fellow filmmakers and potential partnerships.

Seven projects are selected in Development (Arab projects) round including Dogmas (Algeria), directed by Salah Issaad; Madness and Honey Days (Iraq), directed by Ahmed Yassin Al-Daradji; When I Close My Eyes I See Your Eyes (Egypt), directed by Sameh Alaa; Waiting for Geddo (Egypt), directed by Kawthar Younis; Souraya Mon Amour (Lebanon), directed by Nicolas Khoury; Amara (Lebanon), directed by Michelle Keserwany; and Documentary project (Yemen).

The four Post-production (Arab projects) titles are Cinema Kawakeb (Jordan), directed by Mahmoud Al Massad; The Last Projectionist (Palestine), directed by Alex Bakri; Al Baseer (Iraq), directed by Ali Toffan Al-Fatlawi; and The Silence of the Plain (Lebanon), directed by Zeina Sfeir.

Meina Hawashin’s The Abbas Rule, Amer Halasa’s Framed, Said Taji Farouky’s Soon We Will All Be History Here, Yazan Melhem’s Evacuation of Petra, and Karim Ariqat’s Idols in the City have been selected for Development – Awal Film (targets Jordanians and Arabs residing in Jordan, working on their first feature-length project).

The Amman Film Industry Days (AFID) will run from August 16 to 21, as part of the AIFF which starts on August 15 and ends on 22. Industry accreditation will open on July 23 for those interested in attending its workshops and panels. Details will be announced next week.