Three of Mohammad Bakri's children stood together on stage at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, each reading a statement in memory of the Palestinian actor and filmmaker, as the seventh Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film got under way.
Actors Saleh, Adam and Yafa Bakri spoke affectionately about their father while reflecting on his career and legacy. The tribute on Sunday night was deeply personal, and by the time they had finished, the audience was on its feet in a standing ovation.
Before the ceremony, Saleh appeared moved by the festival's gesture as he spoke to The National.
“Any tribute for my father anywhere in the world means a lot to me,” he said. “And I think that the biggest tribute we can do for my father is to continue doing what we are doing and believing in what we are doing.”
Bakri, who died last December, worked across Palestinian and international cinema and theatre for five decades. His career included the documentary Jenin, Jenin and roles in films including Wajib, and All That’s Left of You – in which he appeared alongside Saleh and Adam.
While the festival is still young, the Bakri family's tribute makes it clear what the event has already come to mean to the Arab film community.
Festival president and co-founder Princess Rym Ali said at the opening: “Since our founding in 2020 during Covid, when we held drive-in screenings and a masked, socially distanced award ceremony, we have always acted on our belief that culture is essential.”
“Every year, we face challenges of a different nature, but we refuse to let culture and film take a back seat, and we firmly believe that cinema and storytelling can build bridges.”
The seventh festival has the theme Beyond the Frame, inviting audiences to consider the people, experiences and ideas surrounding the images shown on screen. Princess Rym also connected the theme to the need for Arab filmmakers to reclaim control over their own narratives.
Outside, the red carpet had the ease of a reunion, as actors, filmmakers and musicians greeted friends and collaborators from across the region. It reflected a close-knit Arab film industry whose members repeatedly work together across countries and disciplines.
Palestinian-Jordanian singer Zeyne, who kicked off her first headlining European tour earlier this year, was among the best-known local names attending the opening.
“There’s a huge crossover between the music and the film industry here in Amman,” she told The National. “It’s so nice to see all these beautiful faces again.”
She arrived in a suit by Jordanian designer Farah Hourani.
“I think it’s important to showcase your identity wherever you go, even if it’s not in the most traditional way,” she says. “Today I’ve incorporated it into the suit that I’m wearing by Farah Hourani. So I’m very happy to be representing who I am and where I come from wherever I go.”
The ceremony was followed by Sophia, written and directed by Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, who also stars. The thriller, which moves between Tunisia and the UK and combines Arabic and English, drew loud applause from the opening night audience.
L’Abidine first attended the Amman festival with his directorial debut, Ghodwa, before returning as a jury member. He also filmed Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 in Jordan.
“I'm super proud that Sophia is showing today as the opening film,” he said. “I have a loving relationship with the Amman Film Festival. I came here with my first film, Ghodwa. Then I was on the jury. I’ve got so many friends in Jordan. I filmed Palestine 36 here, a film that I really love.
“To be here again with Sophia is a very proud moment for me because I love the festival, I love the people, and I know that the audience here has great taste. So I can’t wait to hear their feedback and to talk with the audience.”
The film brings together Tunisian and British casts and centres on a girl who goes missing in Tunis.
“It’s maybe a Tunisian or British story, but also is relevant to everyone,” L’Abidine says. “And I will call it a thriller with a heart.”
Sophia began a wider Spotlight on Tunisian Cinema. The showcase brings six films spanning more than three decades to Amman, including Moufida Tlatli’s The Silences of the Palace, Raja Amari’s Satin Rouge, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Beauty and the Dogs and Mehdi Hmili’s Exile.
Tunisian actress and producer Hend Sabry and producer Dora Bouchoucha will also take part in public conversations. They are joined in the programme by Egyptian-British actor and activist Khalid Abdalla and Filipino director Brillante Mendoza.
“We now see Arab films in the biggest festivals in the world,” L'Abidine says. “We also see a talented young generation of filmmakers. I think this is really a good time for Arab cinema, and we need to support it and push it and give it a platform to shine further.”
This year’s programme contains 82 films from 27 countries, selected from almost 900 submissions. It includes 10 world premieres, two international premieres and five Arab premieres across four competitive sections and several parallel programmes.
Eight films compete for the Black Iris Award for Best Arab Feature Narrative. The selection includes Iraqi director Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake, Lebanese director Cyril Aris’s A Sad and Beautiful World, Sudanese director Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen and Tunisian director Amel Guellaty’s Where the Wind Comes From.
The Arab feature-documentary competition includes Saudi director Ali Saeed’s Anti Cinema, Lana Daher’s Do You Love Me, Palestinian director Alex Bakri’s Habibi Hussein and Libyan director Jihan K’s My Father and Qaddafi. Twenty films compete in the Arab short-film category, including five Jordanian works.
The festival has also introduced Made in Jordan, a section featuring six works produced through educational programmes or filmmaking workshops. Additional Jordanian films and co-productions are screening outside the competitions, while 17 short films from previous years will be shown free at Abdali Boulevard. Screenings are also taking place outside the capital.
Amman Film Industry Days runs alongside the public programme, with 20 Jordanian and Arab projects competing across development and post-production platforms. A new short film incubator is supporting another 15 Jordanian projects through script development, mentorship and pitching training.
Saleh Bakri will spend the festival judging seven non-Arab debut features alongside Mendoza and Jordanian-Canadian composer Suad Bushnaq.
“I’m very, very curious about what is the selection they made here,” he says. “It’s very interesting because it says a lot. So I’m looking forward to watching the movies and to meet the jury members.”
Amman International Film Festival runs until August 3
