AFID awards celebrate Arab talent and storytelling

Broadcast Pro

09-07-2025

This year, 18 projects from the Arab world were chosen to compete.
Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), the industry-focused arm of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), concluded a six-day programme dedicated to empowering Arab filmmakers. The event featured a mix of masterclasses, panel discussions, workshops and one-on-one meetings at the AFID Market, where filmmakers presented their projects to producers, financiers, and industry professionals for the chance to secure cash and in-kind support.
A key highlight this year was The Spark Series, the festival's first-ever platform dedicated to web-series—marking a regional first for any Arab film festival. It offered creators a space to showcase episodic content to an audience of distributors, experts, and viewers, signalling a growing interest in emerging digital formats.
Eighteen Arab projects were selected to compete for a range of awards, judged by a distinguished jury that included Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Burundian filmmaker Joseph Bitamba, Spanish journalist and film programmer Eduardo Guillot and Jordanian producer Linda Mutawi. The jury acknowledged the high caliber of submissions and emphasized the creative potential shown across the selected works.
During the closing ceremony, Festival Director Nada Doumani said: 'The Festival's pitching platforms and industry events are designed to support filmmakers. Our awards contribute to essential funding, helping stories reflect genuine community voices free from external pressures. Arab filmmakers must first be rooted in their region to later reach the world.'
Bassam Alasad, Head of Amman Film Industry Days, added: 'This year's selection highlights intimate, character-driven stories of identity, memory and survival. Many explore a second coming-of-age, shaped by loss and displacement. Filmmakers use magical realism and emotional nuance to reveal inner worlds, challenging simplified views and affirming the complexity of Arab experiences.'
Among the award-winning projects, The Orange Grove by Jordanian-Canadian director Murad Abu Eisheh received a $7,000 development grant from the Royal Film Commission. The Masters of Magic and Beauty by Egypt's Jad Chahine also received a $7,000 development award from the same body, and later secured an additional $5,000 from the Red Sea Fund.
Other recognised projects included Ping-Pong (Palestine) by Saleh Saadi, which won a combination of cash and consultation awards, and The Last Mayor of Jerusalem (Jordan/UK) by Kinda Kurdi, which earned in-kind production services valued at $25,000. Jordanian filmmaker Tamir Naber's Six 2 One secured a $5,000 development prize, while From Temporary to Semi-Permanent (Jordan/Palestine) received multiple in-kind development and travel awards.
In the post-production category, Asphalt (Jordan) by Hamza Hamidah stood out, winning both a $7,000 cash prize and in-kind services worth another $7,000. You Don't Die Two Times by Ager Oueslati, a co-production spanning Algeria, Tunisia, Germany, and France, received a €6,000 award from IEFTA and an additional $5,000 from the Red Sea Fund. Other notable winners included Testosterone (Morocco), All That The Wind Can Carry (Egypt/Qatar), and Amal (Jordan/Syria), which each secured significant post-production support.
The AFID Market also awarded Like a Bird in The Sky (Egypt, Lebanon, Spain) by Amal Ramsis a $10,000 grant from ART, and Alicante by Lina Soualem received an in-kind invitation to participate in Cairo Film Connection 2025. From Temporary to Semi-Permanent continued its strong showing with two additional awards: in-kind consultation support from Alexandra Viets and a travel grant from the French Institute in Jordan.