The agreement aims to establish a framework between the two countries in the audiovisual sector and specifically for their co-productions.
The Embassy of Belgium in Jordan and the Government of Flanders in Belgium have signed a five-year audiovisual co-production agreement with the support of the Royal Film Commission in Jordan (RFC).
The agreement aims to establish a framework between the two countries in the audiovisual sector and specifically for their co-productions. This cooperation contributes to the vitality of the audiovisual industries in both regions and thus to the development of their economic and cultural exchanges.
The nineteen articles of this agreement detail the conditions for obtaining audiovisual co-production status, eligibility of beneficiaries, rights of co-producers, conditions for participating in international film festivals, co-productions with third parties, facilitating the entry and residence of the related creative and technical personnel in the two countries, facilitating the import and re-export of equipment necessary to the production and distribution of audiovisual works that fall within this agreement, crediting the respective Jordanian and Belgian governments in the credit titles of the co-produced audiovisual works.
Commenting on the agreement, Ali Al-Ayed, Minister of Culture, Jordan, said: “The agreement contributes to fostering cultural exchanges and free flow of ideas as well as providing training and marketing opportunities, in addition to encouraging further co-productions.
Jan Jambon, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, added: “I am delighted to strengthen the cooperation between Flanders and Jordan. This agreement brings many new opportunities for Flemish filmmakers, such as Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah who are currently shooting their new film Rebel in Jordan.”
Mohannad Al Bakri, the RFC’s Managing Director, remarked: “This co-production agreement goes in line with the RFC’s efforts to provide additional opportunities for the Jordanian film industry. Cinema is a demanding cultural sector, which requires resources at various levels: artistic, technical and financial. We are confident that this cooperation is a gateway to the necessary resources and benefits available in each country. It was a difficult year for Jordanian filmmakers, especially in terms of funding, and we hope that this will be a step towards reviving the film production scene in Jordan.”
Filip Vanden Bulcke, Ambassador of Belgium in Jordan, stated: “The signing of this agreement is an important step in reinforcing the cultural relations between Jordan and Belgium, in particular the Flemish region, especially as it is only the second such agreement Jordan concludes after the one with Canada. Film production by Belgian production companies in Jordan is already an established practice and will benefit from this agreement.”
The signing took place at the RFC’s premises – between the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Minister of Culture Ali Al-Ayed, and the Government of Flanders, represented by Luc Delrue on behalf of Jan Jambon, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy, Culture, Digitalisation and Facilities.
