Amman International Film Festival reveals theme for its third edition

Source: Broadcast Pro

Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), which is scheduled to take place from July 20 to 27, has announced the theme for its third edition. The Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), the professional arm of the festival, will take place within the same period.

AIFF is Jordan’s first international film festival that highlights local, regional, and international début movies.

The AIFF chose “First Film, First Love” as its artistic theme for this edition. Being one of the few international festivals in the world and the only one in the Arab world to focus entirely on firsts in film, this year’s artwork carries the festival’s vision and its love for first-time achievements.

The theme conveys a message of freshness and renewal, following the constraints of the global pandemic, AIFF statement. The artwork – conceived and designed by Mohammed Abd El-Hadi, the festival’s Art Director – reflects the restored connection and proximity amongst people, while linking first achievements in filmmaking to falling in love again.

Speaking about the theme, Nada Doumani, Festival Director and Co-Founder said: “The festival has gained recognition in the film industry and audiences alike in its relatively short history. We are looking forward for an upcoming edition filled with new possibilities and exciting opportunities. We strongly believe in the power of cinema, in its values of diversity, inclusion and free expression; as well as in its capacity to open-up viewers to new worlds. Our focus remains on Arab cinema and the immense talents it has in the Maghreb, Levant, Gulf and the Horn of Africa. We hope we can contribute to supporting these voices and emerging filmmakers.”

The festival will utilise its previous venues, with screenings taking place in three of the most popular districts of Amman as a manifestation of the AIFF’s mission of serving the general audience. The venues include Taj Cinemas in Abdoun, the open-air theatre at the Royal Film Commission (RFC) in Jabal Amman and the state-of-the-art drive-in cinema in the Abdali District built especially by the festival every year. Tickets will continue to be priced at highly affordable rates to be as accessible as possible. In parallel, the festival will run the Amman Film Industry Days, including a Market component for the first time.

The dedicated team of the festival includes Areeb Zuaiter, who heads the Festival’s Screening programme, while the Industry Section falls in the hands of Bassam Alasad, both of them returning for the second year. The Board of the AIFF is headed by Princess Rym Ali and includes Raja Gargour, Omar Masri, Nadia Sukhtian and Kinan Jaradat.