First-timers to take centre stage at this year’s Amman Int’l Film Festival

AMMAN — The third edition of the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) has generated positive responses among young Jordanians.

The AIFF will take place between July 20 and 27 and this year will focus on first-time achievements in cinema. 

The festival includes “a rich and diverse programme, complemented by activities dedicated to film professionals in the presence of filmmakers, actors and actresses, international experts and producers”, according to an AIFF statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The line-up consists of 52 films from 29 producing and co-producing countries, including Arab and international feature-length narratives and documentaries, in addition to Arab shorts, according to the AIFF statement. 

“It was such a hard mission to come up with the selection of this year’s edition of the AIFF,” AIFF Head of Programming Areeb Zuaiter said in the statement.

Zuaiter added that “first-time filmmakers are rising up with their voices and telling more compelling stories that reflect their experiences and express their views.” 

He also said that, “compared to last year, the competition has increased significantly”.

“What is so great about the AIFF is the fact that its movies are screened in different venues,” Shayma Ibrahim, 26, told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

The open-air theatre makes the festival’s films even “more special”, Ibrahim said. She also said that the variation of films gives people different options on different days. 

Meanwhile, Wael Samara, 25, said that the variation in the festival’s programme “simply invites visitors each and every year to the AIFF”, adding that having tickets at reasonable prices also encourages people to come.

“Going to a film festival is a totally different experience from the normal cinema,” he said.