Amman Film Industry Days showcasing fresh projects from Cannes award-winners | Features | Screen

Amman Film Industry Days showcasing fresh projects from Cannes award-winners
Projects from some of the biggest filmmakers emerging from the Arab region and its wider diaspora are set to be pitched at the fast-growing Amman Film Industry Days (AFID) in Jordan.

Among them are upcoming features from Sudanese filmmaker Mohamed Kordofani, whose Goodbye Julia won the Freedom Prize at Cannes in 2023, and Jordan’s Amjad Al Rasheed, who picked up two prizes at Cannes with Inshallah A Boy that same year.

They are among 20 projects selected from a record-breaking 154 submissions and will be showcased from July 27-August 1, concluding with nearly $60,000 in cash awards and a raft of in-kind production and post-production prizes.

Scroll down for full list of projects

“This year’s selection brings together original, authentic, and unexpected stories, offering a promising glimpse into the future of Arab cinema,” says Bassam Alasad, AFID’s head of industry development, innovation and strategic partnerships. “What is especially meaningful to me is seeing not only emerging filmmakers, but also experienced directors and producers choosing to trust AFID with their new projects. That trust is a real sign of growth.”

The selection spans three categories: debut Jordanian projects, Arab projects in development, and Arab projects in post-production. Originating from Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, among others, the projects range from psychological drama and political thriller to horror and archive-based documentary.

The development projects include Kordofani’s About Love & September Laws, a historical drama set in 1983 Sudan as Sharia Law is enforced, which follows a doctor, a translator and an African American journalist who become entangled amid political upheaval.

Also in development is Al Rasheed’s Under Her Eye, a thriller about political and societal dynamics in Jordan, produced by the acclaimed Rula Nasser whose credits include Holy Spider, Inshallah A Boy, Hajjan and recent Cannes premiere The Station.

Further titles include La Chamade from award-winning Tunisian filmmaker Lotfi Achour, in which a young woman travels to Tunis to uncover the truth about her family history; and I Am Afraid To Meet You Someday by Egypt’s Khaled Mansour, whose Seeking Haven For Mr Rambo premiered at Venice in 2024.

As well as pitching sessions, the industry platform will host masterclasses with the likes of Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, discussions with filmmakers selected for this year’s Amman International Film Festival and panels covering the future of filmmaking in the region.

The jury presiding over the pitching platforms include Spanish writer-director Avelina Prat (The Portuguese House); Egyptian filmmaker Ayman El Amir, whose The Brink Of Dreams won the documentary award at Cannes in 2024; Tunisian filmmaker Mehdi Barsaoui (A Son, Aicha); Jordanian writer-director Rand Beiruty (Tell Them About Us); and Kuwaiti producer Talal Al-Muhanna.

AI applications

Source: Amman Film Industry Days

Bassam Alasad

Alasad, whose credits as a producer include Zain Duraie’s Sink and Ameen Nayfeh’s upcoming drama Jo Of Montreal, noted the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in this year’s bumper crop of applications.

“In some cases, AI helped applicants communicate their projects more clearly, improving the presentation without changing the essence of the story,” he says.

“In others, the applications were more polished but also more generic. The distinctive voice, the imperfections that reveal the filmmaker behind the page, and the emotional connection that makes a project memorable had disappeared.

“The projects that stayed with us were the ones where we could still feel the human behind the words. AI can strengthen a presentation, but it cannot replace a unique perspective, lived experience, or genuine artistic voice.”

A new programme launching this year is the Jordanian Short Film Incubator. Created in partnership with the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, the inaugural selection comprises 12 projects.

The filmmakers behind each will receive mentorship and a dedicated pitching session, while also competing for a cash award for development. Jury members include The Voice Of Hind Rajab actress Saja Kilani; Puerto Rican writer, producer and mentor Marco Orsini; and Jordanian producer and distributor Tarek Abu-Lughod. 

Amman Film Industry Days 2026 projects

Debut Jordanian Projects in Development

Between Two Houses (Jordan)
Dir. Raya Shaban

Close Rose Close (Jordan, Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Rulan Hasan
Pro. Fahad Samman

Rest In Process (Jordan, Lebanon)
Dir. Fatma Racha Shehadeh
Pros. Samer Battikhi, Louay Khraish

Hush, Hush (Jordan)
Dir. Hayat Abu Samra
Pro. Badih Fattouh

Um Al-Abed (Jordan)
Dir. Hamza Hamideh
Pro. Widad Shafakoj

Arab Projects in Development

About Love & September Laws (Sudan)
Dir. Mohamed Kordofani
Pro. Khalid Awad

Dance With Me (Lebanon)
Dir. Leila Basma
Pro. Natalia Pavlove

I Am Afraid To Meet You Someday (Egypt)
Dir. Khaled Mansour
Pro. Rasha Hosny

La Chamade (Tunisia)
Dir. Lotfi Achour
Pro. Sébastien Hussenot

Last Trip (Syria)
Dir. Ziad Kalthoum
Pros. May Odeh, Zorana Mušikić

Mina (Lebanon)
Dir. Marie-Rose Osta
Pro. Ana-Maria Pirvan

Remind Me To Forget (Saudi Arabia)
Dir. Lama Jamjoom
Pros. Maryam Sindi, Mawadda Sallam

The Guardian (Libya)
Dir. Muhannad Lamin
Pro. Lynda Belkhiria

Under Her Eye (Jordan)
Dir. Amjad Al Rasheed
Pros. Nicolas Lepretre, Rula Nasser

Where Do I Belong (Sudan)
Dir. Ibrahim Ahmed “Snoopy”
Pro. Talal Afifi

Arab Projects in Post-Production

I Am One Of Them (Syria)
Dir. Nadim Suleiman
Pro. Halim Suleiman

I’m Coming Imam (Iraq)
Dir. Hassan Sabri
Pro. Murtada Alwaely

After Three Years Of Green (Syria)
Dirs. Alayham Ali, Amr Alshashaou
Pro. Sasha Ayoub

No Passports In Paradise (Qatar, Palestine)
Dirs. Mayar Hamdan, Shaima Al-Tamimi
Pros. Mohamed Fakhro, Shaima Al- Tamimi

Between Us Two (Lebanon)
Dir. Dima Al-Joundi
Pro. Marine Vaillant

Amman Film Industry Days showcasing fresh projects from Cannes award-winners | Features | Screen