Films from Gaza in a World Premiere at the Amman International Film Festival
April 18, 2024
Amman, 8th May 2024
The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film is pleased to announce that its fifth edition will be held in the Jordanian capital from the 3rd until the 11th of July 2024. The program, whose details will be unveiled shortly, will center around this year’s theme: “Our Stories, Our Narratives”, which is also reflected in the artwork of this edition.
While announcing the upcoming edition, the five-member Board of the Festival, headed by Princess Rym Ali, stated: “Holding the Amman International Film Festival this year has never been so important and meaningful. We are acutely aware that we are preparing for a cultural event, which aims to bring people together to celebrate audiovisual storytelling, at a time of great suffering and incommensurable destruction. The war on Gaza has raged relentlessly since October 2023, reaching unprecedented levels of violence, killing and maiming tens of thousands of civilians.
We would be remiss if we ignored this dramatic reality. Many of our guests and participants have been impacted, directly or indirectly, by tragic losses. But it is precisely because of these horrors, of the stories untold or being misrepresented, that we believe in the absolute necessity to focus on our humanity, to reclaim our narratives and to shed light on what the region is creating and offering to the world.
Our operational team strongly shares our belief that, in these dramatic times, it is crucial to sustain the role of culture to promote a better understanding of our shared values. In that spirit, they have devised a program in which Palestine and those who support the rights of Palestinians are present. Several filmmakers have lost loved ones in violent attacks in Gaza over the course of the last seven months. The Festival celebrates culture and life, without neglecting its own responsibilities towards the filmmakers’ community and without losing sight of its environment.
During the Festival, we will create vibrant and safe spaces where ideas can be shared, discussed and developed.Holding the Festival this year speaks firmly to our mission: supporting filmmakers and storytelling with a heightened sense that, no matter what, our culture will thrive and prevail.”
This year’s artwork is inspired by its theme, focusing on the need to tell our stories and reclaim our narratives. It was conceived by HUE Innovation and Design, who explained the concept behind the artwork (please see attached) as follows: “Embracing this year’s theme – Our Stories, Our Narratives – HUE’s designers ventured into Jordan’s history and heritage to come up with a contemporary story. We combined silhouettes inspired by Ain Ghazal statues (9000 years old) with Levantine embroidery patterns and cinema elements. This artwork stands not just as a visual, but as a testament to the enduring power of narratives, inviting all to join the conversation at the Amman International Film Festival, where the threads of our individual and collective stories are shared.”
The Festival is made possible with the support of long-standing partners, among which: Jordan Tourism Board, The Royal Film Commission – Jordan, Abdali Investment and Development, Zain Jordan, Royal Jordanian, Edgo, Ghiath & Nadia Sukhtian Foundation, Greater Amman Municipality, HUE, TAJ Cinemas.
For all information visit our website www.aiff.jo or email us at: info@aiff.jo or call us at +962792222011.
