Awards

The Awards of the Amman International Film Festival 

In recognition of the winning films, the AIFF sought to find a symbol which best represents its country, thus the Festival reached out to Jordan’s leading artist, Mohanna Durra. In 2019, and in preparation of the first edition of the AIFF, Durra designed the 15-centimetre tall, bronze trophy: The Black Iris, Durra was inspired by Jordan’s national flower, better known for its balance between delicacy and resilience, as well as its unique colours. No icon was considered more appropriate to indicate and symbolise the challenges of filmmakers in their first projects.

The Black Iris is amongst the last known works of Mohanna Durra, he passed away peacefully in the winter of 2021, after the first edition of the Festival. To learn more about Mohanna Durra and The Black Iris click here.

There are four distinct awards presented on the closing night of the Amman International Film Festival:

  • The Black Iris for Best Arab Feature-Length Narrative (15,000 USD)
    • Special Mention - Arab Feature-Length Narrative (5,000 USD)
  • The Black Iris for Best Arab Feature-Length Documentary (10,000 USD)
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Special Mention - Arab Feature-Length Documentary (5,000 USD)
  • The Black Iris for Best Arab Short Film (5,000 USD)
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Special Mention - Arab Short Film
  • The Black Iris for Best International Film (5,000 USD)

Likewise, the jurors may decide to grant a Special Mention to:

  • First-time Lead Actor (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition)
  • First-time Lead Actress (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition)
  • First-time Scriptwriter (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition)
  • First-time Editor (Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition)

It’s worth mentioning that The Black Iris for Best International Film is awarded by the audience of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film through a voting system.

To learn more about the sections of the Festival and the criteria for selection of the films, click here for the Arab Competition, and here for the International Section.

The Black Irises throughout the years:

2022

The Black Iris for Best Feature Arab Narrative was awarded to Soula (Algeria), directed by Salah Issaad. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Issaad received 20,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia) by Khadar Ahmed.

The Black Iris for Best Feature Length Arab Documentary was awarded to Little Palestine: Diary of a Siege | Yarmouk: Journal d'un Assiégé (Palestine), directed by Abdallah Khatib. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Khatib received 15,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to Take Me to the Cinema (Iraq) by Albaqer Jafeer.

A Special Mention for first-time editor Myriam Geagea for her work in The Blue Inmates (Lebanon) directed by Zeina Daccache.

In 2022 The Black Iris for Best Short Arab Film was awarded to My Mother’s Voice | La Voix de ma Mère, directed by Mourad Hamla. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Hamla received 5,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to The Mission (Jordan), directed by Mohammad Dabbas.

The Black Iris for Best International Film was awarded to The Crossing | La Traversée (France) by Florence Miailhe. In addition to the trophy, Miailhe was awarded 5,000 USD.

2021

The Black Iris for Best Feature Arab Narrative was awarded to Honey Cigar | Cigare au Miel (Algeria), directed by Kamir Aïnouz. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Aïnouz received 20,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to The Skies of Lebanon | Sous Le Ciel d'Alice (Lebanon), directed by Chloé Mazlo.

The Black Iris for Best Feature Length Arab Documentary was awarded to Their Algeria | Leur Algérie (Algeria), directed by Lina Soualem. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Soualem received 15,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to On the Fence (Egypt), directed by Nesrine Elzayat.

The Black Iris for Best Short Arab Film was awarded to The Other Cheek, directed by Sandro Canaan. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Canaan received 5,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to Aïcha (Morocco) by Zakaria Nouri.

The Black Iris for Best International Film was awarded to Fire in the Mountains | पहाड़ों में आग (India) by Ajitpal Singh. In addition to the trophy, Singh was awarded 5,000 USD.

 

2020

The Black Iris for Best Feature Arab Narrative was awarded to You Will Die at Twenty (Sudan), directed by Amjad Abu Alala. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Abu Alala received 20,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to Last Visit (Saudi Arabia), directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan.

The Black Iris for Best Feature-Length Arab Documentary was awarded to Ibrahim: A Fate to Define, directed by Lina Alabed. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Alabed received 15,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to The Profession (Egypt), directed by Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan.

The Black Iris for Best Short Arab Film was awarded to Huda, directed by May Al-Ghouti. In addition to the Black Iris Trophy, Ghouti received 5,000 USD.

A Special Mention was awarded to Soul Return (Iraq), directed by Muhannad Al-Tayeb.

The Black Iris for Best International Film was awarded to Gaza (Ireland) by Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell. In addition to the trophy, Keane and McConnell were awarded 5,000 USD.