{"id":242963,"date":"2025-09-21T03:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T03:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/242963\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T03:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T03:21:13","slug":"from-refugee-camp-docs-to-cannes-laureates-10-jordanian-films-to-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/242963\/","title":{"rendered":"From Refugee Camp Docs to Cannes Laureates, 10 Jordanian Films to Track"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tJordan<\/a> is no longer content to serve as a rugged backdrop for Hollywood epics. With a new cash rebate of up to 45%, the launch of Olivewood Studios, its first full-fledged studio complex, and steady political support from the royal family, the Kingdom is positioning itself as both a regional and international production hub. Speaking to\u00a0Variety\u00a0from the Busan International Film Festival<\/a>\u2018s Asian Contents & Film Market, where the Royal Film Commission hopes to court new projects and partners, Ahmad Khatib, communications and culture manager at the Royal Film Commission, emphatically declared, \u201cWe want to become the Korea of the Middle East,\u201d pointing to Korea\u2019s blend of global exports and thriving local industry as a model.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe strategy goes beyond luring foreign shoots. Jordan aims to strengthen its own creative sector so that films and series made locally can resonate with Arab audiences across a shared language and culture while also appealing internationally. As RFC\u2019s Tala Zumot notes, Jordan\u2019s pitch rests not only on rebates and infrastructure, but also on safety, stability and an increasingly skilled talent pool. It\u2019s a long-term play to export stories and services, just as much as landscapes.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat mix of global ambition and regional grounding is reflected in the following slate of Jordanian titles, ranging from festival-lauded dramas to bold projects still in development. Together, they show a cinema coming into its own. Here are 10 to watch.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Sink\u2019 (\u2018Gharaq\u2019 (2025)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Zain Duraie, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France. Produced by Alaa Alasad and Hind Anabtawi)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSink\u201d tackles the unspoken toll of mental illness within Arab households. Produced by Jordan\u2019s Tabi360 with a robust regional and European co-production network, the TIFF- and BFI-selected drama follows a mother in denial as her teenage son\u2019s mental state unravels. Anchored by Clara Khoury, the film has backing from the Jordan Film Fund, Red Sea Fund and Doha Film Institute. Duraie says she hopes the film sparks urgent conversations \u201caround mental health, emotional repression, and survival behind closed doors not only in the Arab world, but universally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSink<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Alaa Alasad<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018From Temporary to Semi-Permanent\u2019 (in development)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Bayan Abuta\u2019ema, Jordan)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWinner of three awards at the 2025 Amman Film Festival, Bayan Abuta\u2019ema\u2019s directorial debut maps life in Jordan\u2019s Palestinian refugee camps. Structured around the five stages of grief, each represented by a different camp, the project explores how \u201ctemporary\u201d shelters have evolved into layered, semi-permanent homes. Self-produced but backed by in-kind support from the French Institute in Jordan and international industry mentors, the project reflects Abuta\u2019ema\u2019s own displacement. \u201cThis film is an act of witnessing,\u201d says the Palestinian director, who hopes to amplify voices too often reduced to statistics.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom Temporary to Semi-Permanent<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Bayan Abutaema<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Asphalt\u2019 (in development)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Hamza Hamideh, Jordan. Produced by Mahmoud al Massad)<\/p>\n

\n\tWinner of the IEFTA Award at Cannes Docs 2025, Hamza Hamideh\u2019s \u201cAsphalt\u201d paints a raw portrait of life inside Jordan\u2019s Baqaa refugee camp. The documentary follows 20-year-old Debs, a goat herder whose dreams of marriage are derailed on Oct. 7, followed by repeated mourning rituals and the cycle of despair that accompanies war. Produced by veteran Mahmoud al Massad\u2019s Amman-based outfit Jo Image, the film weaves intimate observations with the wider realities of exile, protest, and generational trauma. For Hamideh, whose relatives have called the camp home, the project is deeply personal, rooted in a determination to preserve Baqaa\u2019s stories.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAsphalt<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cAsphalt\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Inshallah A Boy\u2019 (\u2018Inshallah Wahad\u2019 (2023)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Amjad Al Rasheed, Jordan, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt. Produced by Rula Nasser, Aseel Abu Ayyash, Nicolas Lepr\u00eatre, and Yousef Abd Al-Nabi)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first Jordanian feature ever to premiere at Cannes\u2019 Critics\u2019 Week,\u2019 Amjad Al Rasheed\u2019s \u201cInshallah A Boy\u201d has since traveled to more than 140 festivals, taking home around 40 awards. Produced by The Imaginarium Films with Georges Films and Bayt Al Shawareb, the drama stars Mouna Hawa as a widow battling patriarchal inheritance laws. Backed by the Jordan Film Fund, France\u2019s CNC, Red Sea Fund, and Doha Film Institute, the film has secured global distribution in Europe, North America, Asia, and MENA. Al Rasheed says he set out to ask, \u201cWhat if a woman says no?\u201d For him, \u201cFilm should hold a mirror to society, even when the image is hard to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018The Last Mayor of Jerusalem\u2019 (in development)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Kinda Kurdi, Jordan, U.K. Produced by Kurdi and Brian Hill)<\/p>\n

\n\tBlending archival memoir with dramatization, \u201cThe Last Mayor of Jerusalem\u201d explores the story of the city\u2019s final Palestinian mayor in 1948. Directed and produced by Kinda Kurdi for K\u00b2 Visual Media alongside Century Films, with Brian Hill executive producing, the project has been awarded at FIPA Doc and the 2025 Amman Film Festival. With a cast including Sofia Asir and Mohammad Bakri, the film aims to shed new light on a political decision that still resonates at the core of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that rages to this day. Kurdi calls the project \u201can inspiring story of resistance, revival, and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Last Mayor of Jerusalem<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe Last Mayor of Jerusalem\u201d (Courtesy of Kinda Kurdi)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Six 2 One\u2019 (in development)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Tamir Naber, Jordan. Produced by Ghassan Salti and Johnnie Dabeet)<\/p>\n

\n\tMarking Tamir Naber\u2019s feature debut, \u201cSix 2 One\u201d revisits the roots of the first Palestinian Intifada. Produced by FilmCrew, Moonstone, and Fluid Productions, the drama follows four Arab fighters on a one-way glider mission. A 2024 grant recipient from the Jordan Film Fund and a 2025 AIFF Awal Film Award winner, the film is eyeing a late 2026 shoot. \u201cIt\u2019s not about perfect heroes or dry history,\u201d says Naber. \u201cIt\u2019s about real, flawed and human, who choose belief over fear.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018The Orange Grove\u2019 (in development)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Murad Abu Eisheh, Canada, Jordan. Produced by Rula Nasser, Veronika Molnar, and Roger Frapper)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAdapted from Larry Tremblay\u2019s acclaimed novel, \u201cThe Orange Grove\u201d marks the first Canada-Jordan official film treaty co-production, produced by Max Films with Jordan\u2019s The Imaginarium Films. Set partly in a war-ravaged grove, Murad Abu Eisheh follows twin brothers torn apart by fate, before shifting to Toronto where one pursues a life as an actor. Currently in development for a 2026 shoot, the project has support from Marrakech\u2019s Atlas Workshops and Doha\u2019s Script Lab. It took home big prizes at this year\u2019s AIFF, including a Royal Film Commission development award. Producer Veronika Molnar calls it \u201ca story that is as intimate as it is universal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe Orange Grove<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Murad Abu Eisheh<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018My Sweet Land\u2019 (2024)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Sareen Hairabedian, Jordan, France, Ireland, United States. Produced by Hairabedia and Azza Hourani)<\/p>\n

\n\tArmenian-Jordanian filmmaker Sareen Hairabedian brings a deeply personal lens to \u2018My Sweet Land,\u2019 a coming-of-age documentary about 11-year-old Vrej growing up amid the trauma of war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The film, rooted in Hairabedian\u2019s own family history of displacement, explores how children inherit both dreams and burdens in militarized lands. Helmed by producer Azza Hourani, the project is a co-production with the support of IVTS, Arte France, World of HA Productions, and the Jordan Film Fund. After a world premiere at Sheffield DocFest 2024, \u201cMy Sweet Land,\u201d has been screened at DOC NYC, Palm Springs, and Carthage, and was theatrically released in Los Angeles in 2024.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMy Sweet Land<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of HAI Creative\/Sister Prods.\/Soilsiu Films<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018AlRawabi School for Girls\u2019 (2021, 2024)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Tima Shomali, Jordan. Produced by Shomali, Shirin Kamal, Islam Alshomali, Nadine Toukan (season 1), and Issam Husseini (season 2))\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tNetflix\u2019s first Jordanian original, \u201cAlRawabi School for Girls\u201d marked a breakthrough for the Kingdom\u2019s screen industry, ranking among the streamer\u2019s Top 10 most-watched series in over 45 countries. Created by director and showrunner Tima Shomali and produced by Filmizion Productions, the young adult drama blends revenge-fuelled storytelling with sharp social critique, tackling bullying, patriarchy, and the pressures of social media across two seasons. Supported by Jordan\u2019s robust rebate program, the series has received acclaim and awards, including Best Levant Series at the 2024 Joy Awards. \u201cThe world is now like a global village, especially with streaming platforms. Now is the time for our stories to travel,\u201d remarks Shomali.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2018Simsim\u2019 (2025)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t(Sondos Smerat, Jordan. Produced by Qais Noamani and Khaled Haddad)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMarking the feature debut of Jordanian filmmaker Sondos Al-Smerat, \u201cSimsim\u201d was developed through the Royal Film Commission\u2019s first feature workshop in Irbid and co-produced by Noamani Art Production and Slate Film Services. The drama follows Simsim, a wife forced into marriage, who seeks a divorce after her father\u2019s death, but faces resistance from her husband \u2013 who will only release her once he remarries. Starring newcomer Saja Kilani, the film won two special mentions at the 2025 Amman International Film Festival. Al-Smerat frames the story as both social critique and symbolic exploration of women\u2019s struggle against patriarchal systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSimsim<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jordan is no longer content to serve as a rugged backdrop for Hollywood epics. With a new cash…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":242964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[128889,128890,171,18151,129606,53,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-242963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-asian-contents-film-market","9":"tag-busan-international-film-festival","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-jordan","12":"tag-jordan-royal-film-commission","13":"tag-movies","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115240140129033463","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}