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AMMAN — The Royal Film Commission – Jordan, the official submitting organisation to the Academy Awards, has decided to withdraw the film Amira for consideration in the 2022 Oscar’s race.
“We do believe in the artistic value of the film, and that its message doesn’t harm in any way the Palestinian cause nor that of the prisoners; on the contrary, it highlights their plight, their resilience as well as their willingness to live a decent life in spite of the occupation,” the RFC said in a statement, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
This was also the opinion of members of the Independent Selecting Committee, which was formed by the RFC and chose Amira over other movies to represent the Kingdom.
AMIRA was shown successfully in many international festivals – Venice (Italy), El Gouna (Egypt) and Carthage (Tunisia) - as well as the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Amman. The film won two international awards in Venice.
However, in light of the recent controversy the film has triggered and the perception by some that it is detrimental to the Palestinian cause and out of respect to the feelings of the prisoners and their families, the Royal Film Commission has taken the decision to not to have “AMIRA” representing Jordan in the Oscars 2022.