Along with the FIPRESCI Prize, the jury panel will select the winners of the Black Iris Award in three competitive categories.
Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), which will take place from August 15-22, has announced the jurors for its fourth edition.
They will be selecting the winners of the Black Iris Award in the three competitive categories: Best Arab Feature Narrative, Best Arab Feature Documentary and Best Arab Short Film, in addition to the newly introduced FIPRESCI prize for the documentary section.
The jury for the Arab Feature Narrative Films includes Spanish film producer Andres Vicente Gomez, Jordanian actor and director Eyad Nassar, Egyptian actress Bushra Rozza, and Tunisian film director Raja Amari.
The jury for the Arab Feature Documentary Films includes German-Lebanese producer and director Monika Borgmann, Jordanian editor Eyad Hamam, and Lebanese filmmaker, scholar and film curator Nezar Andary.
The Arab feature-length documentaries also compete this year for the FIPRESCI Prize (International Film Critics Awards to promote film art and encourage new and young cinema).
Henda Haouala, who was the artistic director of the Tozeur International Film Festival (2019) and Manarat (2022), and a member of the artistic committee of the Carthage Film Festival (2015, 2016, 2020), Schayan Riaz, a journalist from Berlin, and Mohamed Tarek, an Egyptian film critic, will be a part of the Jury for the FIPRESCI Prize.
The jury for the Arab Short Films includes Tunisian actress, director and producer Afef Ben Mahmoud, Jordanian writer and director Darin J. Sallam, and actress Yumna Marwan.
The winners of each section will be announced at the AIFF’s Closing Ceremony on August 22, 2023. They will receive a bronze-made Black Iris trophy, designed by the late Jordanian artist Mohanna Durra, a pioneer of the Jordanian Arts movement, in addition to the following monetary awards: The Black Iris for Best Arab Feature-Length Narrative ($15,000); Jury Award – Arab Feature-Length Narrative ($5,000); The Black Iris for Best Arab Feature-Length Documentary ($10,000); Jury Award – Arab Feature-Length Documentary ($5,000); The Black Iris for Best Arab Short Film ($4,000); Jury Award – Arab Short Film ($1,000); and The Black Iris for Best International Film ($5,000)
The jurors may also decide to grant a Special Mention to a first-time Lead Actor (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition); first-time Lead Actress (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition); first-time Scriptwriter (Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition); and first-time Editor (Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition).
