Featuring a unique voice and authentic stories with increasing universal appeal, Jordanian films are entering new global markets and touching more international audiences than ever before.
The Shanghai Film Festival’s selection of two Jordanian films this year, Zaid Abu Hamdan’s crime thriller “Boomer” and Zain Duraieh’s family drama “Think,” demonstrate the growing international interest in Jordanian films, while also providing filmmakers with a foothold in the increasingly important Asian market.
“Boomah,” which made its world premiere at the Asian Newcomer Contest in Shanghai, is set in a marginalized community plagued by crime and violence. Rakeen Saad plays a knife-wielding female gang member who becomes embroiled in a power struggle between rival groups while grappling with her own past trauma.
The film was produced by Dubai’s Front Row Productions and Amman-based Ahmad Abu Koushu’s Bounce Productions.
‘sink’
Provided by Tabi360
“Think,” which premiered in Toronto last year, is about a desperate mother grappling with her teenage son’s mental illness, a subject rarely discussed in the Arab world. Produced by Amman-based Tabi360, “Sink” will be featured on the sidebar of the non-competitive Asian collection.
Boomer producer Gianluca Chakra of Front Row Productions said the film selection was “very important to us.” He sees the Shanghai premiere as “an opportunity to introduce the film to new audiences, open the door to all of China and the wider Asian market, and contribute in a small way to the growth of cultural dialogue between two regions that may have more in common than many realize.”
Alaa Alasad, head of Tabi360, is similarly keen to engage with Asian audiences, stating, “The film has been successful at international film festivals and it’s great to see it touring from North America to Europe and now Asia. We hope to secure a distribution deal in China.”
“I have always felt that China is a difficult market to penetrate, but I am convinced that there is room for Jordanian films there,” Alassad added. “The fact that two Jordanian films will be screened in Shanghai this year says a lot about our reach.”
Chakra points out that while Shanghai “may not always get the same attention as Cannes, Venice or Berlin in our world, it remains one of Asia’s most important film festivals and an important gateway to the world’s largest and fastest growing audience region.”
And those audiences appear to be increasingly paying attention to films from West Asia and North Africa.
“What makes this year’s edition especially meaningful is the strong presence of Arab cinema throughout the festival,” says Chakra. “For Arab filmmakers, that’s important. It shows the growing curiosity about stories coming out of our region and the willingness of Asian audiences and industry professionals to engage with them.”
In addition to “Boomah”, Moroccan director Yassin El Idrissi’s “Halima” is also in the Golden Goblet main competition. The festival is also commemorating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Egypt through a dedicated Egyptian Film Week that celebrates both the work of director Youssef Chahine and contemporary Egyptian cinema.
Chakra points out that a further reflection of the growing engagement between Arab and Asian cinema at an institutional level is the presence of prominent Tunisian producer Dora Bouscha on the Golden Goblet jury.
“We have already seen examples of Arab films finding real resonance in Asia; Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum remains the most striking example,” he added. “Despite its deep roots in Lebanon, the film was a remarkable success in China, proving that stories from our region can connect with audiences far beyond the markets that Arab cinema has traditionally focused on.”
“All that’s left of you”
AMP Filmworks
The growing international success of Jordanian films and co-productions was demonstrated last year with Sherian Davis’s blockbuster All That’s Left of You, which depicts the lives of three generations of a Palestinian family living under Israeli occupation. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win major film festival awards, including awards in Sydney, Malaysia, Shanghai, Jeddah, Seville, Thessaloniki, San Francisco, and the Hamptons. “All That’s Left of You” was also shortlisted as Jordan’s official entry for the International Feature Oscar.
“Jordan has also become an important center of the Palestinian narrative,” Charka points out. “Projects such as Farha, All That’s Left of You and Palestine 36 reflect the deep historical and human connections between the two communities. Many Jordanian families trace their roots to Palestine after decades of waves of displacement. This gives filmmakers and audiences a unique understanding of the history, emotions and experiences explored in these stories.”
“That connection provides a level of authenticity and emotional truth that is difficult to replicate elsewhere, and has helped position Jordan as an important creative hub for storytelling across the Levant,” notes Chakra.
Seeb, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, became the first Jordanian film to be nominated for the 2016 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Provided by Film Movement
“But what I find most interesting is the unique voice that has emerged from Jordanian cinema in recent years,” he added. “Films like Seeb, Inshallah A Boy and The Alleys have proven that Jordanian filmmakers can tell stories that resonate far beyond our borders, yet are deeply rooted in local realities.”
‘Boomah’ is similarly “rooted in its local milieu, but told through a cinematic language that can travel, embracing genre, strong characters, and emotional storytelling while maintaining a connection to the social realities that inspired it,” explains Chakra.
“Salem”
Provided by Digitales
Indeed, over the past two decades, Jordan’s local stories and characters have increasingly resonated on screens around the world. These include Captain Abu Raed, director Amin Matalka’s moving drama about an elderly airport manager who is mistaken for an international pilot by the neighborhood children, which won the World Film Audience Award at Sundance in 2008, and Yahya Al Abdallah’s 2011 tale of a down-on-his-luck taxi driver, The Last Friday. The film was the first Jordanian film to be screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
Most recently, director Abu Hamdan’s Daughters of Abdulrahman, which won an award at the 2021 Cairo Film Festival, impressed with its story about estranged sisters and the impact of traditional social norms on women’s lives. Similarly, Jordan’s first animated feature film, Saleem, directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, about a young boy who is forced to leave everything behind to embark on a life-changing adventure, premiered at the 2023 Annecy Film Festival and went on to win numerous international awards.
