First Jordanian Short Film Festival

Ok people!! All of you in Amman have to check this out...

I'm personally excited because I'm currently working on a feature for On Campus about film-making in Jordan. On Monday I got to talk to Mr Hazem Bitar, who is the man behind the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative. What they're doing is great because they're establishing independent filmmaking in Jordan and they're starting to reap results through recognition at different regional film festivals, like in Dubai and Beirut. One of the main points he emphasized was that the importance of taking initiative; we're always complaining about lack of support, lack of resources... and all sorts of other excuses, but that's what they are - excuses! Because young fim makers in Jordan have proven that they can create short films that merit respect and regional and international appreciation... and they've done it using a simple digital camcorder, with the right dose of creativity, dedication, ability to learn, and a positive personality.

There's a lot to be said for this, but I'll write more about it when I'm done woking on the feature... for now I'm really looking forward to the festival, I've seen some of Amin Matalqa's work and it's great, and I'd love to see the stuff Laith Majali does, as well as "Overdose" for Ammar Quttaineh and "Decision Man" for Omar Saleh, besides of course the AFC classics that have made it into renowned festivals... check out the full schedule here...