Updated: September 29, 2008
COOPERATIVE FILMS IN OCTOBER BLITZ: SEVEN FESTIVALS SELECT FROM SIX FILMS
(September 23, 2008) Seven regional and international film festivals have selected from six short films by the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative for their competitions and main programs, with short film The View leading the October 2008 festival selections.
"We are most humbled by this pleasant October surprise," said Hazim Bitar, founder of the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative. "Almost 6 years after the establishment of the Cooperative, and despite our limited resources, it seems we can still tell a story."
SAN FRANCISCO ARAB FILM FESTIVAL, USA (Oct 16-28)
• The View (Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf)
• Ya Halawood (Hazim Bitar & Workshop Students)
• Not My Turn Yet (Hazim Bitar & Rabee Zureikat)
• I am Ready (Omar Saleh)
• Free to Fly (Sajeda Abusaif & Alabbas Ahmad)MIDDLE EAST INT'L FILM FESTIVAL, UAE (Oct 10-19)
• The View (Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf)
• Ya Halawood (Hazim Bitar & Workshop Students)ISMAILIA INT'L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, EGYPT (Oct 15-22)
• The View (Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf)BOSTON PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL, USA (Oct 4-12)
• The View (Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf)GOLDEN MENBAR FILM FESTIVAL, RUSSIA (Oct 16-22)
• The View (Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf)AYAM BEIRUT AL CINEMA'IYA FILM FESTIVAL, LEBANON (Oct 16-28)
• Not My Turn Yet (Hazim Bitar & Rabee Zureikat)BRUSSELS ARAB FILM FESTIVAL, BELGIUM (Oct 22-28)
• Sharar (Hazim Bitar, Ammar Quttaineh, Saleh Kasem)The View, which has been selected by five film festivals, is a short drama about an Israeli sniper on a stakeout who suffers mission drift when a mysterious drama unfolds between a Palestinian man and woman. This one-take film explores the psychology of violence in the absence of restraints. The View won Best Short at the 14th Franco-Arab Film Festival.
Also of special interest is the short film Ya Halawood, a comedy about a greedy local producer who will stop at nothing to promote his film production services. The short comedy was a collective project involving dozens of people from the Dead Sea village of Ghour Mazra'aa. It was the product of an Acting and Filmmaking workshop led by Jordanian actress Nadia Odeh & Hazim Bitar part of the Hope Films Workshop funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and sponsored by Zikra Initiative.
Free to Fly by Abbas Ahmad and Sajeda Abousaif is a short film about a child who discovers, while flying kites, that to soar one must be free. This is a Hope Films workshop production.
Not My Turn Yet is a short experimental film by Hazim Bitar & Rabee Zureikat about a real world encounter with destiny, which forces the protagonists to contemplate questions of life and death.
I am Ready is a short film by Omar Saleh about the frustrations of young Arabs in a world that's full of official propaganda calling for youth participation.
Sharar is a story about a laborer frustrated with his unscrupulous boss. This film had been previously selected to Academy-certified Clermont-Ferrand Int'l Film Festival and Locarno Int'l Film Festival.
The Amman Filmmakers Cooperative was launched in 2002 by Hazim Bitar as an incubator for young filmmaking talents employing a unique educational and mentoring program that pairs up experienced filmmakers with students. The Cooperative graduated some of Jordan's leading indie filmmakers such as Dalia Alkury, Aseel Mansour, Suhad Khatib, and others.
RELATED LINKS:
- The View Wins Best Short Film at Franco-Arab Film Festival 2008
http://www.alif.com/afc/jul-09-08-theviewfirst.htm- Omar Saleh's I am Ready World Premiere
http://www.alif.com/afc/may-15-08-iamreadyscreen.htm- Dead Sea Acting Workshop Nets a Short Film Ya Halawood
http://ammanfilmmakers.alif.com/apr-06-08-yahalawood.htm- Filmmaker Rabee Zureikat Reflects On A Close Call in Not My Turn Yet
http://ammanfilmmakers.alif.com/jan-11-08-notmyturn.htm- Film Sharar Goes to Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival
http://ammanfilmmakers.alif.com/dec-06-06-clermontferrand.htm- Hope Films Workshops
http://www.alif.com/afc/jan-30-08-hopeflmsgaza.htm
http://ammanfilmmakers.alif.com/feb-20-08-hopefilms-ghour.htm- Amman Filmmakers Cooperative
http://JordanianFilms.com# # #