Amman, 30th of May

The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) and the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA) signed today a Memorandum of Understanding, with the support of the French Embassy in Amman, to strengthen and broaden their cooperation in the field of training professionals and students in the Audio-visual industry.

The MoU was signed by the RFC’s Managing Director, Mohannad Al Bakri, and by the deputy director of INA’s Training/Expertise department, Stéphanie Rabourdin, at the Commission’s premises in Amman. The signing was attended by Gilles Roulland, Head of Cooperation at the French Embassy, along with staff members of the RFC and the French Embassy.

The collaboration between the RFC and INA dates back to 2019 with the organization of a documentary Lab. As a result of its fruitful outcome in mentoring and training young professionals in the audio-visual sector, the two parties aimed to further expand their efforts through this MoU’s framework.

The MoU stipulates delivering training courses and seminars by INA targeting Jordanian professionals and students in the cinema and audio-visual industry. Moreover, INA will offer its support to design training programs as well as train future trainers assigned by the RFC, in addition to the RFC’s and INA’s participation in professional events organized by each party.

In a related context, INA is willing to identify French professionals in the fields of audio-visual and cinema production, through its participation in the events organized by the Commission, and to hold relevant seminars and workshops in the framework of such events.

Al Bakri stressed the significance and importance of cooperating with INA, saying: “It is a privilege for the RFC to work alongside with The French National Audiovisual Institute. INA is a prestigious internationally acclaimed entity, which has been heavily engaged in the fields of film and audio-visual production since 1975, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to benefit from its vast experience.” He added: “We are certain that the upcoming training courses, in cooperation with INA, will help participants increase their knowledge and advance their career under the guidance of high-profile film experts.”

Rabourdin said that “it is a privilege to cooperate with the Royal Film Commission and with talented professionals from the cinema/television industry in Jordan”. She highlighted that “The organization and the co-creation of specific workshops/ trainings will create new opportunities to develop audiovisual projects.” She added that the “capacity building” is at the core of this audiovisual industry as cinema and television are constantly evolving. INA is glad to continue this partnership and is thrilled to work on other projects with the Royal Film Commission.”

As part of the MoU, an Advanced Filmmaking Lab It was conducted by Jean-Claude Mocik - Head of the Concept Thinking, Creative Writing and Production Department at INA – from 22 – 30 May.