The participating films will compete for the "Black Iris" award across four categories. The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film has annou
The participating films will compete for the “Black Iris” award across four categories.
The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film has announced the lineup for its fifth edition, scheduled to take place from July 3 to 11, 2024. This year, 53 films from 28 countries will be featured.
The festival will showcase a diverse mix of feature-length narratives, documentaries, and short films, both Arab and international. These films have been carefully selected to offer a unique cinematic experience, featuring non-commercial works that may not reach commercial theaters in Jordan. All films were released in 2023 or 2024.
The competing films will vie for the prestigious “Black Iris” award across four categories. Three of these awards will be decided by juries: Best Arab Feature Narrative (7 films), Best Arab Feature Documentary (7 films), and Best Arab Short Film (16 films). Additionally, the Audience Award will be given to the winning film in the “Non-Arab Films” section (7 films).
This edition will feature 12 films making their Arab world premieres and two films making their global debuts. Additionally, five films will be screened for the first time outside their home countries.
The lineup of Arab feature narratives includes two Jordanian films: The Red Sea is Crying directed by Fares Al-Rjoob, and Inshallah a Boy directed by Amjad Al-Rasheed. From Morocco, Gangs by Kamal Lazraq and Animalia by Sofia Alaoui will compete, alongside the Egyptian film I Miss You by Tamer Rogli. Other entries include Behind the Mountain by Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia, The Burdened by Yemeni director Amr Gamal, and Backstage, a joint Moroccan-Tunisian production directed by Afaf Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane.
In the Arab feature documentary category, the lineup includes two Lebanese films: Wassila directed by Reine Rzouq, and Q directed by Jude Chehab. Other entries are the Jordanian film Beautiful, My Land by Sarine Hayrabedian, the Egyptian film Hollywood Gate by Ibrahim Nash’at, the Iraqi film Hiding Saddam Hussein by Halkout Mustafa, the Qatari film Makaeen Al-Rouh by Hamida Issa, and the Palestinian film No Other Land directed by Basil Al-Adra, Hamdan Bilal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Zor.
The Arab short film category features four Jordanian films: Rolling directed by Omar Al-Taher, Al-Harsh directed by Firas Al-Taybeh, Male and Female directed by Ahmad Al-Yaseer, and Silence directed by Dina Naser. Three Lebanese films are also competing: Bird Scout directed by Douan Al-Qawuqji, Sea Salt directed by Laila Basma, and An Endure directed by Elio Tarabya.
Other entries include two Egyptian films, Smoky Eyes directed by Ali Ali, and The Canal directed by Jad Shaheen; two Palestinian films, In the Waiting Room directed by Moatasem Taha, and Sukrania 59 directed by Abdullah Al-Khatib; the Syrian film Bittersweet directed by Zahir Samir Qusibat; the Moroccan film Pregnancy, Sheep, and Crows directed by Ayman Hamou; the Tunisian film Lenny Africo directed by Marwan Labib; the Qatari film Marriage Proposal directed by Nadia Al-Khater; and the Saudi film The Journey directed by Hania Bakhshwain.
Inshala Walad Film
The foreign film lineup includes the American film Case of the Stranger directed by Brandt Andersen, the Irish film Notes from the Sheep World directed by Cara Holmes, the Spanish film The Girls Are Alright directed by Itxaso Arana, the Singaporean film The Dream and the Death directed by Nelson Yeo, and the Norwegian film Dealing with the Living Dead directed by Thea Hvistendahl.
Also featured are the Romanian film My Muslim Husband directed by Daniel Barnoy and Alexandra Lizeta Barnoy, and the Senegalese film Banel and Adama directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy.
The “Date with French-Arab Cinema” program includes feature films such as the Tunisian film Four Daughters directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, the Moroccan film The White Lie directed by Asmae El Moudir, The Empty Third directed by Faouzi Bensaidi, the Algerian film Above the Tomb directed by Karim Ben Salah, and the French film Even if I Go to the Moon directed by Laurent Rodriguez.
For short films, the program will feature three Palestinian works: A Short Film About Children directed by Ibrahim Hanzal, The Key directed by Rakan Mayasi, and Epochs directed by Malak Abu Hamda. The Syrian short film 3350 km directed by Sara Al-Quntar will also be screened.
The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film is known for its focus on debut achievements in filmmaking from around the world, with a special emphasis on the Arab region. In addition to its film screenings, the festival offers a comprehensive program for filmmakers through “Amman Film Industry Days,” which includes workshops, seminars, a marketplace, and platforms for project presentations.
Amman International Film Festival 2024 – Nabil Alani
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