31st European Film Festival to kick off in Amman on September 12

AMMAN — The annual European Film Festival will run between September 12 and 22 in Amman, featuring a total of 22 recent award-winning European productions, according to organisers.

The festival, funded by the European Union Delegation (EUD) in Jordan and organised by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) Jordan, is in its 31st edition this year.

Last year, more than 900 people attended the screenings, according to Hala Abdallat, communication and events officer at the EUNIC. This year, each screening is expected to attract 250 people.

The festival is organised in partnership with the Royal Film Commission (RFC), the Greater Amman Municipality and the Jordan Tourism Board.

The opening and closing sessions will take place at the newly renovated open-air theatre of the Royal Film Commission, and all screenings in between will happen at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Ras Al Ain.

Goncalo Guedes, programme manager for communication, visibility and culture at the EUD said in a press conference on Monday: “The distinctive characteristic of the European Film Festival is its long-standing presence in the cultural and cinematic scene in Jordan. The festival will showcase different genres of movies with a special focus on music this year being a strong topic presented in a number of films.”

He added: “This year, we have two competitions: The student short film competition and the mobile short film competition. We are happy that the winner of the students’ competition will get the chance to participate in the next edition of the Malmo Arab Film Festival.”

The European productions to be screened will all be subtitled in Arabic and English, some in the presence of their respective film makers, actors or producers, according to a statement by the EUNIC.

Similar to previous editions, the European Film Festival will tour several governorates around the Kingdom at RFC film houses.

The closing ceremony will be held at the RFC in Amman on September 22. The winner of the Short Film Competition and the winners of the Mobile Film Competition will be announced there.

The festival is free-of-charge, according to the organisers.