The latest edition of Amman Film Industry Days, the industry arm of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film, concluded after six days of intensive workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities designed to support emerging Arab filmmakers.
A total of 23 awards were presented to 19 film projects, with financial and in-kind prizes offered by the festival's partners. The winning projects were selected by an international jury comprising Spanish director Avelina Prat, Egyptian filmmaker Ayman El Amir, Jordanian director Rand Beiruty, Kuwaiti producer Talal Al-Muhanna, and Tunisian director Mehdi Barsaoui.
Festival Leadership Highlights the Future of Arab Cinema
During the closing ceremony, Festival Director Nada Doumani emphasized the importance of supporting authentic storytelling, saying that the future of Arab cinema is shaped by courageous filmmakers and a creative environment capable of nurturing their ideas.
Bassam Al-Asaad, Director of Industry, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships, added that every successful film begins as an idea believed in by someone, stressing that the festival aims to create opportunities and meaningful connections that help these stories reach audiences.
Jury Awards
Projects competed across three categories:
- First-feature Jordanian projects in development
- Arab feature projects in development
- Arab projects in post-production
The jury praised the originality, bold artistic visions, and creative quality of the selected projects.
Among the major winners:
- "Just Between Us, Okay?" by Hayat Abu Samra received a $7,000 cash prize from the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, along with an in-kind production services award.
- "Om Al-Abed" by Hamza Hmeideh won a $5,000 cash prize from the Amman International Film Festival.
- "Tunnel Vision" by Amjad Al Rasheed (Jordan) received $7,000 from the Royal Film Commission.
- "The Last Journey" by Ziad Kulthoum (Syria) won $5,000 from Olivewood.
- "Dance Me" by Leila Basma (Lebanon) earned a one-year development and consulting award from EKLAT.
- "Remind Me to Forget" by Lama Jamjoum (Saudi Arabia) received a script consultancy award.
Post-Production Winners
Several post-production projects also received significant support:
- "Three Years After Green" by Al Ayham Ali and Amr Shaashou (Syria) won a $7,000 cash prize and additional documentary consulting services.
- "I'm Coming, Imam" by Hassan Sabri (Iraq) received €5,000, along with color grading and DCP mastering services.
- "The Legend of Mahmoud" by Mayar Hamdan and Shaima Al Tamimi (Qatar) earned an award for sound design and audio mixing.
