British war film returns to Jordan for premiere

AMMAN — "KAJAKI The True Story", a British war film set in Afghanistan, returns to Jordan on Wednesday for its premiere after the feature was shot at Kafrein Dam in the Kingdom's south in 2014, a British embassy statement said.

“It’s fantastic to be back in Jordan to launch the film here. We couldn’t have made the film without the support of everyone here and the welcome we received was exceptional," the statement quoted director Paul Katis as saying.

"We made many friends here and I am so looking forward to seeing our Jordanian crew again as well as sharing the film with HH Prince Mired who has been a supporter throughout,” Katis said.

Prince Mired is scheduled to attend the premiere, where some 500 guests are expected including the local crew and cast who worked on the film.

The film shoot received Royal support and was facilitated by the Royal Film Commission and the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, according to the statement.

As well as approximately 40 cast and crew members travelling from the UK, around 70 local crew, cast and background artists worked on "KAJAKI" during a six-week period between last July and September.

"As a thank you for the support shown to the producers, The Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers has been chosen as one of four charities [that] will receive a portion of the profits of the film," the embassy said.

Prince Mired chairs the commission.

Gulf Film LLC., based in Dubai, has recently been announced as the distributor for the film in the Middle East, with the release date set for May 7.

"KAJAKI The True Story" is written by Tom Williams, with Gareth Ellis-Unwin of Bedlam (BAFTA and Academy Award winner for "The King’s Speech") as an executive producer, along with Alexa Jago, Alec Mackenzie, Norman Merry, Phil Hunt and Lee Vandermolen.

Katis is also a co-producer with Andrew de Lotbiniere, and the two were nominated for a BAFTA for outstanding debut at this year’s awards.