An independent jury of Jordanian and Arab filmmakers and professionals met over three days to evaluate eligible submissions.
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) has revealed the selection of 15 cinematic projects that will benefit from the financial support of the Jordan Film Fund (JFF) in its eighth cycle for the year 2023, with a total disbursement of 450,000 Jordanian dinars ($635,601.15).
A substantial 119 projects were submitted for consideration to the fund, of which 93 projects met the eligibility criteria. This indicates a notable surge of over 61% compared to the previous cycle’s submissions.
This increase can be attributed to the augmented general budget of the JFF, specifically the enhanced allocation for specific categories, including feature and short narrative film production as well as the feature narrative film co-production category.
Following the initial phase of individual evaluations over the past two months, an independent jury of Jordanian and Arab filmmakers and professionals convened in Amman for three days to assess the eligible submissions. The jury comprised nine members: Jehan ElTahri, an Egyptian writer, director, producer, and visual artist; Viola Shafik, an Egyptian writer, director, and academic; Shahinaz El Akkad, an Egyptian producer; Ahmed Amer, an Egyptian writer, director, and producer; Lina Chaabane, a Tunisian producer; Myriam Sassine, a Lebanese producer and director; Hadi Zaccak, a Lebanese director and academic; Talal Al-Muhanna, a Kuwaiti producer; and Zaid Abu Hamdan, a Jordanian writer, and director.
Commenting on the submissions and selection process, the jury said in its statement: “The projects featured a variety of topics, presented within an ambitious context that aspires to make promising films, and made the final selection after fruitful discussions to support filmmakers despite the challenging task due to numerous competing projects. The jury congratulates Jordanian filmmakers for their supported projects, hoping that its contribution will help advance Jordanian cinema globally.”
Mohannad Al-Bakri, the RFC’s Managing Director, said: “The projects submitted to the Jordan Film Fund (JFF) this year were highly competent, which indicates the progress achieved by the film industry in Jordan, thanks to the combined efforts of all concerned institutions and individuals. This effort culminated in the representation of Jordan this year at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for the first time, which clearly indicates the capabilities of Jordanian filmmakers and the success of the efforts made by the JFF with the aim of promoting Jordanian cinema and bringing it to the world.”
