Amman Film Industry Days selects 18 projects for 2025 Pitching Platforms
As part of its ongoing mission to nurture regional talent and strengthen Arab cinematic storytelling, the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID)—the professional arm of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF)—has revealed the 18 selected projects that will participate in this year's competitive Pitching Platforms.
Set to take place during the sixth edition of the AIFF from July 2 to 10, 2025, the Pitching Platforms offer Arab filmmakers and producers the opportunity to present their projects, either in development or post-production, to a jury of seasoned professionals. The selected participants will compete for financial and in-kind awards made possible through AFID's network of partners and supporters. This year's jury includes Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha, Burundian filmmaker Joseph Bitamba, Spanish film critic and programmer Eduardo Guillot, Jordanian producer Linda Mutawi and Saudi director Abdulaziz Al-Shlahei.
The 18 projects were selected from a competitive pool of 170 submissions, chosen for their originality, creative vision, and production potential.
Commenting on this year's selection, Bassam Alasad, Head of AFID, said: 'This year, the selection process was incredibly difficult because the level of storytelling, vision and urgency across submissions was so high. Every project had a voice worth hearing. The Pitching Platforms continue to be a cornerstone of AFID, offering filmmakers not only the chance to win awards but, more importantly, to connect, evolve and be seen. We are proud to be a platform that embraces these narratives and amplifies the voices behind them.'
The selection spans three categories. Under the Awal Film section, which supports first-time Jordanian filmmakers or residents in Jordan, four development projects were selected: From Temporary to Semi-Permanent by Bayan Abuta'ema, Memoirs of Jerusalem by Kinda Kurdi, Six 2 One by Tamir Naber, and The Orange Grove by Murad Abu Eisheh.
In the wider Arab Projects development category, projects include The Cow Thief (Egypt, Italy, KSA) by Mohamed Zedan, The Sad Life of Happy Pig! (Lebanon, France) by Christy Whaibe, Ping-Pong (Palestine) by Saleh Saadi, Printemps (Lebanon, France) by Noel Keserwany, Love-45 (Syria, Qatar, Switzerland, France, UK, Lebanon) by Anas Khalaf, Alicante (Algeria, France, Spain) by Lina Soualem, Like a Bird in The Sky (Egypt, Lebanon, Spain) by Amal Ramsis, and The Masters of Magic and Beauty (Egypt) by Jad Chahine.
Six projects were selected in the post-production category: Kobra (Lebanon) by Daniel Habib, Amal (Jordan, Syria) by Khaled Ahmad Al Swidan, You Don't Die Two Times (Algeria, Tunisia, Germany, France) by Ager Oueslati, Testosterone (Morocco) by Ali Benchekroune and Mohamed Bakrim, All That The Wind Can Carry (Egypt, Qatar) by Maged Nader, and Asphalt (Jordan) by Hamza Hamidah.
Beyond the pitching sessions, AFID will host an engaging lineup of workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions designed to foster knowledge-sharing and professional development. These events aim to offer filmmakers valuable insight into the evolving trends of both the regional and international film industries.
This year's edition also introduces The Spark Series, a new initiative and the first of its kind in the Arab world, focused on web series as a dynamic and accessible form of storytelling. This addition underscores AFID's commitment to embracing new formats and platforms in the expanding landscape of visual storytelling.
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