Amman, 25 November 2023

The second edition of the Jordan Children’s Film Festival (JCFF) kicked off last night Friday, 24th of November, organized by the Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC). A big number of children and families attended the opening from around the kingdom. The festival presents daily screenings until Tuesday 28th of November at the Rainbow Theater in Jabal Amman.

JCFF is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and one of the few in the region that solely focuses on movies for the youth. The audience will get the chance to watch a variety of recent Arab and international productions, suitable for children above 10 years old and some for those above six. The participating films were selected from among 70 short and feature films submitted to the festival.

Children will get exposed to different environments and learn about different cultures through seven feature narrative family movies; the opening film: “Saleem”, Jordan’s first animated feature film in its first premiere in the kingdom, the filmmakers of “Saleem” were given a trophy by the Royal Film Commission to honor their efforts; “Totem” from the Netherlands; “The Tesla Case” from Bulgaria; “Class Trip Chaos” from Germany; “The Song of Spring” and “The Little Horsewhip” from China, and finally “Journey to Yourland” from Slovakia. Moreover, 12 short narrative and animation films from Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, France, and Russia will be showcased. Screenings are followed by discussions with film experts encouraging the young audience to think, analyze and exchange ideas. Among the festival's activities, two workshops will be organized, one on puppet creation for children, and the second on designing and drawing animated characters.

The RFC formed two juries: one is made-up of adult professionals working in the audio-visual industry and education field that includes Filmmaking PhD holder Doctor Amer Gharaibeh, Children Visual Artist Rama Samkari, and Bernard van Leer Foundation -which specializes in early childhood development- Representative in Jordan Farah Jadallah; the second jury gives children the opportunity to select their favorite movie. The audience will also have its say by selecting its favorite title. It is worth mentioning that the best feature film and best short film will receive cash awards.

Mohannad Al-Bakri, the RFC’s Managing Director emphasized that: “Organizing the festival is motivated by our firm belief in the importance of providing a cinematic experience that addresses the future generation and increases their awareness of this important industry. The RFC has always been concerned with this aspect through its programs targeting children in terms of film screenings or training and development in this field.”

He added: “The continuation of our cultural activities, especially those focusing on children, comes in the context of our belief that developing cinematic awareness has a significant role in reflecting the identities of people and their cultures at all levels. We firmly believe that there is an urgent need to increase the number and quality of cinematic works directed at children in the region and the Arab world as a whole.”
The festival will conclude on Tuesday, 28th of November, at the Rainbow Theater with two screenings; the first at 4 p.m. for the feature film “The Little Horsewhip,” then at 6 p.m. for the animated film “Journey to Yourland,” followed by the closing ceremony and the announcement of the winning movies.

About the Royal Film Commission – Jordan
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC) is a public institution, with administrative and financial autonomy, established in 2003 with a mandate to promote for and contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Jordanian audio-visual industry. The RFC organizes training workshops, screenings and provides production support services.
For any further information, please call: +962797557116