Amman, 27 October 2019 – Five producers and five directors from Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, and Libya completed yesterday, at the Royal Film Commission (RFC) in Amman, a specialized and innovative film-training program).
These participants are members of the finalist teams selected to take part in Med Film Factory’s 6th cycle (MFF); an advanced training program for filmmakers from the Arab World, initiated by the RFC in partnership with Sud Ecriture – Tunisia, and The Huston School of Film & Digital Media – Ireland, and Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation- Jordan (AHSF) as a main Funder.

The directors and the producers of the five teams took part in MFF’s ten-day training scheme, which is comprised of script mentorship, creative and practical producing and a hands-on shooting exercise under the guidance of renowned mentors and experts, supported by skilled Jordanian cast and crew members, and with the generous support of Slate Film Services and Ala’a Njjar who provided the needed equipment for the shoots. Additionally, teams that successfully completed the program will be invited to participate in regional and international film markets to meet with and pitch their projects to professionals and potential partners.

Med Film Factory’s Pedagogical Committee was comprised of Dora Bouchoucha (Sud Ecriture, Tunisia), Lina Chaabane (Sud Ecriture, Tunisia) and Rod Stoneman (Huston School of Film & Digital Media, Ireland).
Dora Bouchoucha indicated that “Med Film Factory is a pragmatic tailored mentoring program for pairs of Arab producer/director in need of companionship which has imposed itself as the promoter of today’s new Arab cinema.”
Below is the list of the participating teams and projects:
 
- From Libya, Director Abdullah Al-Ghaly and Producer Miftah Saeid are teaming up to work on their film “El Bastardiya”.
- From Egypt, Director Muhammad Refaat and Producer Mohamed Rasheedy are teaming up to work on their film, “Stuck in My Name”.
- Director Ali Kareem Obaid form Iraq, and Producer Khalid Abu Sharif form Jordan, are teaming up to work on their film, “The Arabic Interpreter”.
- From Egypt, Director Mohamed Rashad and Producer Hala Lotfy are teaming up to work on their film, “The Hero”.
- Director Said Zagha from Palestine, and Producer Mais Salman from Jordan, are teaming up to work on their film, “Weedestine”.
 
Hala Lotfy, producer of “The Hero”, described the program as “very ambitious, challenging filmmakers’ competencies within a limited period of time, and triggering questions in relation to their future projects and their professional career as a whole. This intensive workshop is very rich and allowing pondering and discovery. The encounters with the experts were a huge added value, not only professionally but also on the personal and emotional levels.”  

Khalid Abu Sharif, producer of “The Arabic Interpreter”, also commented on the program saying: “Med Film Factory is a very unique program that combines many important elements of filmmaking integral to professionals at this stage of their careers. The RFC team worked hard to provide amazing tutors and a great environment to advance our projects.” 

Mohannad Al Bakri, Managing Director of the Royal Film Commission - Jordan commented on the program saying: “Since Med Film Factory’s creation six years ago, the RFC and its partners in the program have witnessed the development and growth of 30 teams of Arab directors and producers. We are extremely proud of MFF alumni and their ability to complete their projects and share them with international audiences, harvesting, in many cases, first-class awards. For instance, “1982” by Oualid Mowaness, a project that went through MFF training a few years ago, is now touring some of the top film festivals worldwide. We are glad that five Arab projects took advantage of what this program offers in terms of its unique set up and hands on exercises guided by professional mentors and experts enabling the participants to tell their stories in the most personal and meaningful way.”

Valentina Qussisiya, CEO of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, emphasized the importance of supporting various types and forms of art at AHSF, highlighting the importance of popularizing cinema and film production and developing the capacities of those working in this field. She added that such trainings will certainly contribute to make films with a realistic and poetic character as well enrich the filmmaking environment and improving its quality in Jordan and the Arab World. Qussisiya believes the Arab region needs cultural products that reflect the reality of our societies. Hence, we definitely need to develop filmmakers’ capacity by giving them the needed tools to speak to the world.
   
About the Royal Film Commission – Jordan
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) is a public institution, with administrative and financial autonomy, established in 2003 with a mandate to promote for and contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Jordanian audio-visual industry. The RFC organizes training workshops, screenings and provides production support services.
For more information, please visit our website:  www.film.jo or email us at: [email protected]

About Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation
The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF) is a non-profit cultural foundation, establishes by the Arab Bank in 1978. Based on its belief in the importance of developing a common ground for Arab progress, the Arab Bank allocated a percentage of its yearly profits to fund the Foundation's establishment. The Foundation has since sought to achieve its objectives through three pillars: Thought Leadership, Literature and Arts and Innovation. Its aim was to ultimately support the national economy while also pushing forward knowledge, research and dialogue in the Middle East. It was awarded the King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein Award for Excellence in recognition to its role in supporting culture, science and arts.
For more information, please visit AHSF’s website:  www.shoman.org