A jury of five cinema professionals will select the winning projects and grant them cash and in-kind awards on July 9.
The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) has revealed the selected projects for the three pitching platforms of the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID). This initiative continues to support filmmakers from Jordan and the broader Arab region, offering essential opportunities for growth and collaboration.
AFID, the industrial arm of AIFF, will run from July 4 to July 9, aligning with the AIFF’s schedule from July 3 to July 11. AFID also includes the Amman Film Market, a dedicated space to connect filmmakers with potential funders, partners, and distributors, serving as a launchpad for these projects.
This year, AFID received around 100 project submissions from filmmakers across the Arab region, divided into three categories: Development (open to all Arab filmmakers), Post-Production (open to all Arab filmmakers), and Development – Awal Film (targeting Jordanians and Arabs residing in Jordan, working on their first feature-length project). After a thorough review by industry experts, 16 projects from eight different Arab countries were selected.
Speaking about the selected projects, Bassam Alasad, Head of Industry at the AIFF, said: “Every year, the quality of the submitted projects improves, making the selection process increasingly difficult, especially when voices and backgrounds are so diverse. We wish we could select more projects; but like in all festivals, only a limited number can be accommodated. The selection process depends on several factors, mainly the evaluation of the originality and creativity of the idea, as well as the diversity in topics and their impact. This year, for the first time, the largest share went to documentary films due to the exceptional quality of the submissions received. The Jury will then select the winners on the 9th of July, and we are proud to offer during this edition even more awards than in the previous ones.”
The selected projects for the Development (Arab projects) category are A House For Expats (Narrative – Egypt) by Naji Ismail; Al-Madeeneh 2008 (Narrative – Yemen) by Yousef Assabahi; American Dream (Doc – Egypt/Saudi Arabia) by Amir El-Shenawy; Dwellers of the Cabins (Doc – Egypt/Qatar) by Hind Bakr; Let’s Wait and See (Narrative – Palestine/Denmark/UK) by Mahdi Fleifel; My Mother & I (Doc – Iraq/Egypt/Qatar) by Dilpak Majeed; and Yumna (Narrative – Jordan) by Yahya Alabdallah.
For the Post-Production (Arab projects) category, the selected projects are 50 Meters (Doc – Egypt)
directed by Yomna Khattab; Donkey Boys (Doc – Palestine) directed by Ahmad Al Bazz; Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo (Narrative – Egypt/Saudi Arabia) directed by Khaled Mansour; Son of the Streets (Doc – Palestine/Poland/Qatar) directed by Mohammed Almughanni; and The Nablus Runner (Doc – Algeria/France/Italy); directed by: Haïcha Ladrouz.
The projects in the Development – Awal Film (First-Timers in Jordan) category are Amal (Doc) directed by Khaled Sweidan; In Between Woes (Doc) directed by Leen Ghassan; Searching for Fareed (Doc) directed by Yazan Taiseer; and Scent of The Dead (Narrative) directed by Mohammad Khabour.
A jury of five cinema professionals from Jordan, the region, and beyond will select the winning projects and grant them cash and in-kind awards following a pitching session.
