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Broadcast Pro
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
AFID awards celebrate Arab talent and storytelling
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.
Broadcast Pro
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Amman Film Industry Days selects 18 projects for 2025 Pitching Platforms
The Pitching Platforms provide a space for Arab filmmakers and producers to present and pitch their projects in development or post-production. 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.
