Amman International Film Festival Announces Fifth Edition with Diverse Global Participation
June 22, 2024
ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR ASGHAR FARHADI GUEST OF THE “FIRST AND LATEST” SECTION AT THE AMMAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
June 24, 2024
Ahram Online , Sunday 16 Jun 2024
Six films from Egypt will participate in the fifth edition of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), scheduled to take place from 3 to 11 July.
The Egyptian films are Back to Alexandria, Hollywoodgate, Smokey Eyes, The Call of the Brook, Bab El-Shams, and Hajjan.
Back to Alexandria (2023), directed by Tamer Ruggli, will screen in the Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition along with six other titles from Tunisia, Yemen, Jordan, and Morocco.
The film is a comedy-drama co-written by Marianne Brun, Yousry Nasrallah, and Tamer Ruggli.
It stars Fanny Ardant, Nadine Labaki, and Laila Ezz El-Arab.
Hollywoodgate (2023) is directed by Ibrahim Nashat, who wrote the script together with Shane Boris and Talal Derki.
The film events take place immediately after the US pullout from Afghanistan. Taliban forces occupied the Hollywood Gate complex, which is claimed to be a former CIA base in Kabul.
Hollywoodgate will screen within the AIFF’s Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition, which also presents six other titles from Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, and Qatar.
Smokey Eyes and The Call of the Brook will compete in the Arab Shorts segment, among a total of 16 movies.
Smokey Eyes (2024) is directed by Ali Ali, and Nancy Ali wrote the script.
The 20-minute film follows Nour who prepares carefully for her date, but anything can go wrong on a ride through an anxious Cairo by night.
The Call of the Brook (Al-Toraa, 2023) is directed by Jad Chahine.
The plot follows a boy who goes to a cursed brook and witnesses something that will seal his fate.
The film had its world premiere during the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Cinéfondation Award for Best Short Film.
Two more Egyptian titles will be screened within Spotlight, a new non-competitive segment of the festival.
They are Bab El-Shams (Gate of the Sun, 2004), directed by Yousry Nasrallah, and Hajjan, directed by Abu Bakr Shawky.
Bab El-Shams’ script is written by Yousry Nasrallah, Elias Khoury, and Muhammad Suwaid, and it is based on a novel by Khoury.
The film was screened out of competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Hajjan (Jockey), directed by Abu Bakr Shawky, is a Saudi-Egyptian production, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (2023) in the Discovery Programme.
Coined as a camel epic, the film follows Matar, a boy who embarks on a journey across the desert.
The story is “an immersive experience capturing the essence of rivalry, legacy, and the unique bond between a boy and his camel,” read the synopsis, pointing to the Saudi identity and heritage as an important backdrop for the film.
The film stars Abdulmohsen Alnemr, Omar Alatawi, Ibrahim Al-Hasawi, and Alshaimaa Tayeb, among others.
The 2024 Amman International Film Festival line-up includes a total of 53 films from 28 different producing and co-producing countries, featuring a mix of Arab and international feature-length narratives and documentaries as well as Arab short films.
All the presented movies were released in 2023 and 2024 and will have Jordanian premieres.
Among these, 12 films will have their Arab premieres, two will have world premieres, and five will have international premieres.
The participating films compete for the Black Iris Award across four competitive sections.
