Updated: September 2, 2007
Jordanian Indie Filmmaker Jafar Safwan Takes
First Film To Ismailia Film Festival CompetitionSeptember 2, 2007
It's easy to underestimate Jafar Safwan, the self-effacing, bespectacled student from Jordan University. But the recent graduate from JU's school of engineering proved he can cut film as good as he can crunch numbers and resolve multi-ordered differential equations.
The geek-turned-filmmaker was a bit skeptical when he heard the news of his first film selection to the prestigious Ismailia Documentary and Short Film Festival in Egypt. But the invitation letter and the festival-paid airfare left little doubt in the young filmmaker's mind that this is not a practical joke.
"I feel uneasy about being called a filmmaker," said Jafar Safwan. "But I will not stop people from referring to me as one."
The film, The Order of Out, is a bizarre black & white comedy about a guy, performed by actor/director Omar Saleh, who wakes up on the wrong side of bed. Everything goes downhill from that point on.
"How do I feel? just fantastic," said Jafar. "I mean I don't think anyone could have guessed this selection. It was a total surprise for me and for fellow Cooperative filmmakers."
Lead actor Omar Saleh is no stranger to acting in quirky Jordanian indies. As in the 2005 short film Decision Man, Omar Saleh plays the sole actor in Jafar Safwan's film.
The Order of Out is written, directed, and edited by Jafar Safwan as part of the Introduction to Filmmaking Workshop by the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative (AFC).
Previously, The Order of Out screened in the panorama of the Jordan Short Film Festival (06) and the Izmir International Short Film Festival (06), Turkey, as part of a special program on Jordanian Independent Cinema.
Jafar Safwan is also the technical director of the Jordan Short Film Festival, two years in a row, where he managed most technical aspects of the festival from software development to video compression, DVD authoring, and computer network management.
Jafar leaves to Egypt on Sunday September 2, 2007 with a number of Jordanian invitees such as notable Jordanian film critic Adnan Madanat, who just finished chairing the Grand Jury of the Jordan Short Film Festival '07.
The introverted filmmaker will not reveal his future film plans but rumor has it that he does not plan to give up his video camera for a slide ruler. "Can't they both get along?" asks Jafar.
RELATED LINKS
Jafar Safwan Puts Final Touches on 1st Film "The Order Of Out"
http://ammanfilmmakers.alif.com/jul-4-06-jafar-order.htm
Amman Filmmakers Cooperative (AFC)
http://JordanianFilms.com
Ismailia Documentary & Short Film Festival
http://www.egyptianfilmcenter.org.eg/mosabka11.html
