The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film has revealed the participation of more than 60 films representing 23 countries during its sixth edition, scheduled to take place from July 2 to 10. Under the theme “A World Beyond the Text,” the festival will present 23 films in Arab premieres, including 16 world premieres.
This year, the festival will serve as an exclusive platform for powerful and moving stories from the heart of Gaza, presented for the first time. It will also integrate sign language into some screenings to make them accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Most films will be subtitled in Arabic and English to reach the largest possible audience. Three free screenings will be open to the public at the Boulevard in Abdali.
The anticipated program will bring together bold and unique cinematic voices and diverse artistic experiences from the Arab world and internationally, while maintaining its core mission of celebrating the early achievements of filmmakers. Jordan is represented in the feature narrative competition by “Sesame” by Sondos Smeirat, while in the feature documentary competition, it is represented by “Mother of Schools” by Abdullah Issa and “Tell Them About Us” by Rand Beiruti.
Festival President Princess Rym Ali said, “This edition celebrates the unexpected and the depth of the human experience in a volatile and rapidly changing world. Life does not follow a written script, and recent years are a testament to this.”
Ireland is the “Guest of Honor” for the sixth edition, and a special program celebrating its cinematic production is planned.
Oraieb Zuaiter, Director of Programming at the festival, said in a press release, “We turn to the seventh art to resist the narratives imposed on us. In this edition of the festival, filmmakers reveal their hearts, stories that defy stereotypes and distortions. These stories are full of truth, depth, creativity, and courage. We are eager to bring these stories, from our region and the world, to the big screen and strive to make them accessible to the widest possible audience.” Competitions
This edition includes four official competitions, during which the Black Iris and Special Mention Awards will be awarded by specialized juries: Arab Feature Narrative Films, Arab Feature Documentary Films, Arab Short Films, and Non-Arab Films.
The Arab Feature Narrative Film Competition includes 10 films: “Searching for a Way Out for Monsieur Rimbaud” directed by Khaled Mansour; “The Red Offspring” directed by Lotfi Ashour; “To an Unknown World” directed by Mahdi Fleifel; “Songs of Adam” directed by Adi Rashid; and “196 Meters” directed by Chakib Taleb Ben Diab.
Also competing are “A Village Near Paradise” directed by Mo Haraoui; “Spring Came in Laughing” directed by Noha Adel; “Sesame” directed by Sondos Smeirat; “Aya” directed by Maya Ajamia Izi Zalama; and “Thank You for Dreaming With Us” directed by Laila Abbas. The Arab Documentary Feature Film Competition will feature seven films: “Abu Zaabal 89” directed by Bassam Mortada; “We Are Inside” directed by Farah Qassem; “Fitna fi al-Hajebin” directed by Omar Mismar; “Time Out 22” directed by Ali Qazwini; “Mother of Schools” directed by Abdullah Issa; “Your Mother, My Mother” directed by Samira al-Mozghibati; and “Tell Them About Us” directed by Rand Beiruti. The Arab Short Film Competition will feature 19 diverse films: “Are You a Rabbit?” directed by Hatem Imam; “Sheikha” directed by Ayoub al-Yousfi and Zahwa Raji; “A Place Drenched in Details” directed by George Ashkar; “Hellish” directed by Yasser Fayez; “White Dwarf” directed by Asid Musa Maqdadi; “Casting” directed by Youssef al-Sanhaji; and “Sin” directed by Hassan Hussein Maqdadi. This comes in addition to the film “Mango” directed by Randa Ali, “A Passing Day” directed by Rasha Rizk Shaheen, “Embrace of the Unknown” directed by Ghalia Khaled Haddad, “A Look from Outside” directed by Tara Al-Khas, “The Last Days of Summer” directed by Pierre Mouzannar, “Halqa” directed by Islam Qutb, “Rouge” directed by Samaher Moussalli, “And Yes” directed by Musaed Al-Qudaifi, “No Body, No One” directed by Muslim Hadib, “1/2 Journey” directed by Rana Matar, “Behind Closed Curtains” directed by Qasim Sakli, and “Harz” directed by Karar Haider. Foreign Films
Seven films are competing in the non-Arab Film Competition: “Happy End” by Neo Sora; “Armand” by Halfdan Ullman Tondil; “A Dog on Trial” by Laetitia Dush; “Aisha’s Story” by Elisabeth Vibert; “All We Imagine Is Light” by Payal Kabadi; “A Familiar Touch” by Sarah Freedland; and “Tales from a Magical Garden” by David Soukup, Patrick Bache, Leon Vidmar, and Jean-Claude Rozek. The new edition will see the addition of two non-competitive sections featuring films that do not fall within the competition criteria but enrich the festival’s program. These are: “Spotlight on Irish Cinema”, as Ireland is the guest of honor this edition, and a special program celebrating its cinematic production will be announced soon. The second section is “Films Out of Competition.” Thirteen films will be screened as part of this program: “Under My Mother’s Roof” by Christian Abi Abboud; “UNRWA, 75 Years of Temporary History” by Nicolas Wadimoff and Liana Saleh; “Yalla Parkour” by Oraib Zuaiter; “The Mission” by two medical personnel from Gaza; and “Gaza Clown” by Abdulrahman Sabbah. Four films from the “From Zero Distance” series will also be screened: “Very Small Dreams” by Itimad Wishah; “Hassan” by Mohammed Al Sharif; “The Wish” by Aws Al Banna; and “Colors Under the Sky” by Rima Mahmoud. The screenings will also include “After” by Maha Haj; “Cinema Masarra” by Stephanie Amin; “Chants” by Mai Al Ghouti; and “The Eighth O’Clock Play” by Mohammed Hashki.
