An independent jury of Jordanian and Arab filmmakers and professionals met online over three days to evaluate eligible submissions.
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) has announced 23 cinematic and TV series projects to receive the Jordan Film Fund’s (JFF) financial support in its sixth cycle for the year 2021 with a total amount of 250,000 Jordanian dinars ($352,613).
An independent jury of Jordanian and Arab filmmakers and professionals met online, over three days to evaluate eligible submissions in the following categories: development, production and post-production of feature narratives and documentaries; development of TV series; production of short and animated films (narrative documentary).
The jury members included Jordanian directors, producers and writers – Mahmoud Massad and Bassel Ghandour, Palestinian director and producer Rashid Masharawi, Lebanese director, film and theatre actor Georges Hachem, Palestinian director and producer – Head and Founder of the Malmo Arab Film Festival – Mouhamad Keblawi, and Sudanese director, producer and writer Amjad Abu Al Alaa.
Commenting on the submissions and selection process, the jury said: “In the midst of this emergency situation in which we are living, our priorities have been limited to the necessary needs of health, security and food. The abundance of projects which we had access to renew our faith that the art of storytelling is also a primary need for the sustainability of societies, and that the narrators’ vitality and ability to awaken their stories, specifically at such difficult times, indicate the extent of their society’s immunity to everything that might threaten its existence, present or future.
There is no doubt that the activity of filmmakers in Jordan, thanks to their cooperation, young and old, as well as the official entities supporting them, contributes to a large extent to raising this kind of immunity. Especially that their projects which were submitted to this cycle of the Fund, with their various approaches in form and content, focus on specific issues related to the society which they belong to, not only reflecting an image of it but also drawing a horizon for it that corresponds to their aspirations for reform. We wish them all success, hoping that our choices will be right where we prevailed what is innovative over what is witty, and what is implicit over what is direct, and what is explicit over what is provocative.”
Mohannad Al-Bakri, the RFC’s Managing Director, added: “Today’s challenging circumstances – as a result of the global health situation, the ensuing constraints and economic fallouts – did not halt the creativity of passionate filmmakers. We, also at the RFC, are continuing to support them through the Fund, in the midst of the pandemic. The films achieved through the JFF in the past years, and which are making it to international forums and festivals, reinforce our commitment and belief in the importance of such a support.”
