This year, AIFF has added the Black Iris Award for Best Non-Arab Film to its lineup of honours.
The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) has revealed the distinguished jury members for its sixth edition, set to run from July 2 to 10, 2025, in the Jordanian capital. This year, the festival takes a significant step toward international inclusion by launching the Black Iris Award for Best Non-Arab Film, marking an expansion of its mission to celebrate cinematic excellence across both Arab and global landscapes.
Selected for their deep expertise, industry contributions, and diverse cultural backgrounds, the jury members are tasked with evaluating debut works in various categories with fairness and insight. The Arab Feature-Length Narrative Film competition will be judged by Algerian filmmaker Adila Bendimerad, Yemeni director Amr Gamal, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight executive Christoph Leparc and veteran Jordanian actor-director Rasheed Malhas. This section focuses on films featuring first-time talents, whether in directing, writing or acting.
In the Arab Feature Documentary category, which showcases feature-length nonfiction films by debut directors and editors, the jury comprises Lebanese editor Gladys Joujou, Syrian documentarian Ziad Kalthoum and award-winning British producer-director Mike Lerner.
The Arab Short Film competition, open to independent first-time directors of narrative or animated works up to 30 minutes, will be evaluated by Lebanese actress Diamand Abou Abboud, Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed and Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh, whose previous work has garnered critical acclaim at the AIFF and beyond.
Notably, the festival has restructured the selection process for the Best Non-Arab Film category. Previously decided by audience vote, the winner will now be chosen by a jury composed of members from the AIFF Advisory Board. This new jury includes Lebanese artist Georges Khabbaz, Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, Jordanian actress-producer Saba Mubarak, Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker Samir and Egyptian-Lebanese documentarian Jihan El-Tahri. The change reinforces the Festival’s vision of expanding its critical engagement beyond the Arab world while strengthening the role of its advisory members.
Introduced in 2023, the FIPRESCI Prize – awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics – returns to honor excellence in Arab feature-length documentaries. This year’s jury includes Iraqi critic Ali Alyasery, Thai scholar Anchalee Chaiworaporn and Austrian journalist Bert Rebhandl, underlining the Festival’s commitment to critical perspectives and emerging voices in Arab documentary cinema.
In addition to jury awards, the AIFF will continue its tradition of presenting the Audience Award in all four competitive sections. These honours are determined by festivalgoers, highlighting the films that leave the strongest emotional impact on viewers.
Running alongside the main festival is the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), which also appoints a dedicated jury to evaluate film projects in development and post-production. Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Burundian filmmaker Joseph Bitamba, Spanish film journalist Eduardo Guillot, Jordanian producer Linda Mutawi and Saudi director Abdulaziz Al-Shlahei will assess entries from emerging Arab talent and provide vital support in both financial and in-kind forms.
The juries will play a central role in shaping this year’s edition by recognising the creativity, ambition, and originality of the next generation of filmmakers. The full list of films and projects selected for competition is expected to be announced soon.
