Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation seeks to enrich Jordan’s film scene

AMMAN — When a committee, that was tasked by Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, decided to screen a European film in 1989, they were surprised by the number of attendees.  

Adnan Madanat, the head of the foundation’s cinema department, recalled that the management was thinking to hold a cinematic activity that included screening films from all over the world that were not only entertaining but also intellectually significant.

“They approached me to organise a committee experienced in the field of cinema. We then started screening movies, with the  first being a Yugoslavian movie, and we were surprised by the number of the attendees. It was then followed by a discussion until the late hours of the evening,” Madanat told The Jordan Times in his office.

Following the success of the screening, in 1992 the management decided to establish the department of cinema at the foundation, said Madanat.  

  “At the time there was no specific hall for cinema and we held the screenings at a multipurpose hall. We used to show movies through old cinematic equipment,” he said.  

Since then, the foundation’s cinema department became one of the main hubs for the Kingdom’s film.  The department has been showcasing a great number of movies, Madanat said, adding that they started featuring a new system of film weeks. 

“These weeks were organised in different ways, either by cooperating with a specific embassy or in collaboration with a specific director to bring the most out of his movies,” he added. 

The cinematic activities not only include the screening of movies, but also hold discussions related to the film and distribution of brochures with the movie’s synopsis.  

“We recently published a book that contained some of the movies the foundation has screened over the years.  A total of 93, including Arabic movies, are mentioned in the book, which provides a good insight into cinema worldwide,” he added,  Madanat recalled the difficulties in obtaining films in the past, unlike today. 

“We made contacts with cultural attachés at embassies and got to know owners of movie theaters and movie distributors in Jordan,” he noted. 

He said the foundation’s cinema department is the “only cinematic experiment” that still continues today in the Arab World.  

The cinema scene at the foundation is different now compared to its early days, with a designed hall that is fully equipped for 100 people. 

“The hall can accommodate up to 160 people and sometimes we have people sitting on the floor too.  The number of spectators is on the rise, which made us open another hall to host more,” he added.