Late cinema mastermind Jean-Luc Godard once said: “The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life.” This relates to what Nadine Labaki said: “Cinema is not only about making people dream. It's about changing things and making people think.” And if we think about the impact of cinema, we would like to refer to Mohsen Makhmalbaf: “Because there is so little room for expression otherwise, a lot of people love cinema because they find it a way of expressing themselves.”
Cinema is a crucial cultural vector, essential for societal identity and openness. The films that we showcase include narratives and documentaries, short and feature, Jordanian, Arab and international, that are not usually screened commercially. Our criteria for programming are based on the quality of the films, their content and the diversity of their origin and genre. All year round, our screenings are widely open to the public and are free of charge across Jordan.
The screenings organized by the RFC are sometimes held in cooperation with other institutions or Embassies in Amman. In summer, the RFC welcomes cinema enthusiasts to watch and discuss a variety of films from all over the world, in an outdoor amphitheater, with the backdrop of old downtown Amman and the Citadel. The theater is accessible for disabled people. In winter, we resort to an indoor arthouse theater. During the screenings, film directors or film critics are often present to discuss the films with the public, as we truly believe in the power of debate and its social impact.
But the RFC doesn’t only reach out to film lovers in the capital, it is keen on organizing film screenings in the governorates, cities and towns, where theaters are unavailable, through the Commission’s various Film Centers, cine buses or partner organizations in the Governorates. Our main objective is to reach the widest possible audience so that Jordanians can expand their cinematic knowledge and get exposed to different cultures. Moreover, by developing and nurturing a local audience interested in cinema, the RFC builds the necessary base for a strong and sustainable Jordanian film industry.
In parallel, the RFC continues to promote Jordanian films abroad. It also maintains a strategic partnership with the Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film, since the inception of the latter.
The Royal Film Commission’s main objective, in regularly organizing film screenings, is to reach the widest possible audience so that Jordanians, in the capital as well as in the various cities and towns, can expand their cinematic knowledge and meet different cultures from all over the world.