The Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), the professional and industry arm of Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF), hosted over six days a variety of activities including workshops, masterclasses, panels and pitching platforms for projects. At the Market, filmmakers were engaged in one-on-one meetings with industry professionals, producers and financiers, presenting their projects for an opportunity to receive cash and in-kind awards.
Additionally, AFID organized sessions on web-series – The Spark Series – which is the first showcase of its kind in an Arab festival, offering creators a unique platform to present their work to industry professionals, distributors and an engaged audience.
This year, 18 projects from the Arab world were chosen to compete. A distinguished jury comprised of Dora Bouchoucha (Tunisian producer), Joseph Bitamba (Burundian filmmaker), Eduardo Guillot (Spanish journalist and film programmer) and Linda Mutawi (Jordanian producer) chose the winning projects to receive a range of cash and in-kind prizes made possible through the support of AFID’s partners.
Development Awards:
• The Orange Grove (Jordan, Canada) – Directed by Murad Abu Eisheh and produced by Rula Nasser, Veronika Molnar and Roger Frapper
*Won The Royal Film Commission – 7,000$ cash award for a project in development – Awal Film
• The Masters of Magic and Beauty (Egypt) – Directed by Jad Chahine and produced by Baho Bakhsh & Safei Eldin Mahmoud
*Won The Royal Film Commission – 7,000$ cash award for Arab project in development
• Ping-Pong (Palestine) – Directed by Saleh Saadi and produced by May Jabareen
*Won Masna3 – 2,500$ cash award and 2,500$ in-kind consultation award for a project in development
• The Last Mayor of Jerusalem (Jordan, UK) – Directed by Kinda Kurdi and produced by Kinda Kurdi & Brian Hill
*Won Slate – In-kind production services award for a Jordanian Awal Film project in development worth 25,000$
• Six 2 One (Jordan) – Directed by Tamir Naber and produced by Ghassan Salti
*Won GNSF – 5,000$ cash award for a Jordanian project in Development – Awal Film
• From Temporary to Semi-Permanent (Jordan, Palestine) – Directed and produced by Bayan Abuta’ema
*Won INQ – In-kind development support for a Jordanian first film project in development worth 3,800$
Post-Production Awards:
• Asphalt (Jordan) – Directed by Hamza Hamidah and produced by Mahmoud Massad
*Won The Royal Film Commission – Jordan – 7,000$ cash award for a project in post-production
• You Don’t Die Two Times (Algeria, Tunisia, Germany, France) – Directed by Ager Oueslati and produced by Raouf Oueslati, Thomas Kaske & Dhia Jerbi.
*Won IEFTA – 6,000 € cash award for an Arab project in post-production.
• Testosterone (Morocco) – Directed and produced by Ali Benchekroune& Mohamed Bakrim
*Won Rum Pictures – In-kind Color Grading and DCP award for a project in post-production worth 10,000$
• All That The Wind Can Carry (Egypt, Qatar) – Directed by Maged Nader and produced by Tamer Elsaid & Maged Nader
*Won Unison Studios – In-kind sound design and mixing award for a a project in post-production worth 15,000$
• Asphalt (Jordan) – Directed by Hamza Hamidah and produced by Mahmoud Massad
*Won Creative Media Solutions (CMS) – In-kind packaging services award for a project in post-production worth 7,000$
• Amal (Jordan, Syria) – Directed by Khaled Ahmad Al Swidan and produced by Lujain Hamdan
*Won Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) – In-kind award for bespoke consultation sessions and two free memberships for one year for a documentary project in development or post-production.
Market Awards:
• The Masters of Magic and Beauty (Egypt) – Directed by Jad Chahine and Produced by Baho Bakhsh & Safei Eldin Mahmoud
*Won Red Sea Fund $5,000 cash award for Jordanian first film project in development
• You Don’t Die Two Times (Algeria, Tunisia, Germany, France) – Directed by Ager Oueslati and produced by Raouf Oueslati, Thomas Kaske & Dhia Jerbi
*Won Red Sea Fund $5,000 cash award for Jordanian first film project in post-production
• Like a Bird in The Sky (Egypt, Lebanon, Spain) – Directed by Amal Ramsis and produced by Amal Ramsis & Jana Wehbe
*Won ART $10,000 cash award for a narrative project in development
• Alicante (Algeria, France, Spain) – Directed by Lina Soualem and produced by Omar El Kadi
*Won Cairo International Film Festival – In-kind award for a project to participate in Cairo Film Connection 2025
• From Temporary to Semi-Permanent (Jordan, Palestine) – Directed and produced by Bayan Abuta’ema
*Won Alexandra Viets – In-kind consultation award for a project in development
• From Temporary to Semi-Permanent (Jordan, Palestine) – Directed and produced by Bayan Abuta’ema
*Won French Institute in Jordan – In-kind award for a Jordanian project to travel to France.
