‘American filmmakers keep flocking to Kingdom’

AMMAN — Jordan has been on high demand as a filming destination in the past few years, with the Kingdom's appearances on other countries' big screens doubling, the Royal Film Commission (RFC) said on Sunday. 

The most recent example is the drama film “A Private War” by US director Matthew Heineman, in which the Kingdom landscapes stand to represent five different countries (Syria, Afghanistan, Sri-Lanka, Libya and Iraq), according to the RFC website.  

The lens of the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-award winning filmmaker roamed the country for 19 days, shooting in seven different areas around the Kingdom.

Best known for directing and producing the documentaries “Cartel Land” and “City of Ghosts”, director Heineman chose the narrative style to tell the true story of American war correspondent, Marie Colvin, in his upcoming film “A Private War”. 

British actress Rosamund Pike portrays the character of Colvin, a journalist specialised in Middle Eastern issues, and renown for her coverage of conflicts in Chechnya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and East Timor. 

Colvin had been working for the British newspaper The Sunday Times since 1985 when she was tragically killed during her coverage of the siege of Homs in Syria back in 2012.

The movie also stars Irish actor Jamie Dornan as a war photographer. 

Commenting on his experience shooting in Jordan, Heineman said:"I had an amazing experience filming in Jordan. It is a beautiful country with a diverse topography and very kind people. Within two hours of Amman, I was astonished that we were able to shoot in locations that were supposed to be Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, and they looked completely authentic."

Heineman also collaborated with American cinematographer Robert Richardson, who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times.

"The Jordanian teams were extremely professional, welcoming, and helped us find and secure amazing locations — from the tunnels of Umm Qais to the market in Madaba. And they also made the production process seamless and easy. I look forward to coming back to Jordan,” the director added, as quoted by the RFC.

195 Jordanian crews worked alongside the foreign filming team, and the RFC provided comprehensive production services, facilitating the shooting of the movie by issuing filming permits, assisting with customs clearance and coordinating with the concerned entities for logistical procedures.