Overview
The Amman International Film Festival (AIFF), branded as "Awal Film" (Arabic for "First Film"), is Jordan's leading film festival. The 7th edition ran July 26 to August 3, 2026, in Amman, concluding with a closing ceremony at the Amman Citadel that achieved the highest attendance since the festival's inception. The 6th edition in 2025 screened 62 films from 23 countries including 16 world premieres. The festival is dedicated specifically to first and second feature films, creating a competitive environment where debut filmmakers compete against peers at similar career stages rather than established directors.
The festival is organized under the patronage of Princess Rym Ali, who established AIFF in 2017. The 2026 theme was "Beyond the Frame." The 2025 theme was "A World Unscripted," with Ireland as the first Country of Honour, featuring Irish cinema and guest filmmaker Jim Sheridan.
AIFF has two main components: the festival (competitive screenings across four categories) and the Amman Film Industry Days (AFID), a parallel industry program with pitching platforms, a film market, workshops, masterclasses, and The Spark Series web series showcase. The Black Iris Award, the festival's top prize, carries a $15,000 cash award in the Arab Narrative category. The festival also hosts a FIPRESCI jury.
Submission Details
Submissions are made through the AIFF website. The festival does not use FilmFreeway.
Eligibility requirements:
- Films must be first or second features as specified in each category
- Submitted films must be Jordanian premieres (must not have been screened in Jordan)
- Films available on any VOD, online platform, TV, or similar media in Jordan are not eligible
- Only rights holders and official distributors may submit
- Narrative films must be 60+ minutes; documentaries must be 52+ minutes
- Films must be in their original language with English subtitles (if not in English)
- Arabic subtitles are required for non-Arabic parts in Arab section films
Non-Arab Competition: Open to non-Arab directors' first features. Must be a Jordanian premiere. Films available on VOD in Jordan are not eligible.
Full rules at aiff.jo.
Key Sections
- Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition - first and second narrative features by Arab directors, competing for the Black Iris Award ($15,000) and Jury Award ($5,000)
- Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition - first and second documentary features by Arab directors, Black Iris Award ($10,000) and Jury Award ($5,000)
- Arab Short Film Competition - short films by Arab directors, Black Iris Award ($4,000) and Jury Award ($1,000)
- Non-Arab Film Competition - debut features from outside the Arab world, Black Iris Award ($4,000) and Jury Award ($1,000)
- Country of Honour - annual curated section (2025: Ireland)
- First and Latest - pairs a filmmaker's first film with their most recent work
Amman Film Industry Days (AFID)
AFID is the industry component of the festival, with three competitive pitching platforms for feature-length projects:
- Awal Project (Development) - for first-time Jordanian directors or Arab directors in Jordan. Awards: $7,000 from the Royal Film Commission, $5,000 from the Sukhtian Foundation, $25,000 in-kind from Slate Film Services
- Arab Project (Development) - for all Arab directors. Awards: $7,000 from the Royal Film Commission, $2,500 cash plus $2,500 in-kind from MASNA3
- Post-Production - for Arab directors with a producer. Awards: $7,000 from the Royal Film Commission, EUR 6,000 from IEFTA
AFID also runs the Amman Film Market, The Spark web series showcase (2025), and workshops. AFID 2025 granted 18 awards across 13 projects.
What Filmmakers Should Know
AIFF's focus on first and second features is its defining characteristic. For debut filmmakers, this means competing against peers at the same career stage. The 2025 edition screened 62 films from 23 countries with 16 world premieres.
The Jordanian Premiere requirement is strict. Films that have screened anywhere in Jordan or are available on any streaming platform accessible in Jordan are ineligible. Verify your film has not been distributed on any VOD platform available in Jordan before submitting.
The cash awards are substantial for a debut-focused festival. The Arab Narrative Black Iris Award at $15,000 exceeds the cash prizes of many larger festivals. The AFID pitching platforms offer additional funding, including a $25,000 in-kind award from Slate Film Services and $7,000 cash awards from the Royal Film Commission.
Past Winners
2026 Award Winners (7th Edition):
Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($15,000) - A Sad and Beautiful World by Cyril Aris (Lebanon). Also won the Audience Award and Best First-Time Lead Actor. Premiered at Venice's Giornate degli Autori (People's Choice) and was Lebanon's Oscar entry. Watermelon Pictures released it in the US in July 2026.
- Jury Award ($5,000) - The President's Cake by Hasan Hadi (Iraq). Won the Camera d'Or at Cannes 2025 and was Iraq's Oscar entry. Sony Pictures Classics released it in the US in February 2026.
- Best First-Time Lead Actress - Eya Bellagha for Where the Wind Comes From (Tunisia), which premiered at Sundance 2025.
- Best First-Time Scriptwriter - Mohamed Rashad for The Settlement (Egypt), which premiered at the Berlinale.
Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($10,000) - Habibi Hussein by Alex Bakri (Palestine)
- Jury Award, FIPRESCI Award, and Audience Award - The Other Side of the Sun by Tawfik Sabouni (Syria), which premiered at the Berlinale.
Non-Arab Film Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($4,000) and Audience Award - Laundry by Zamo Mkhwanazi (South Africa)
- Jury Award ($1,000) - We Believe You by Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys (Belgium)
2025 Award Winners (6th Edition):
Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($15,000) - Red Path by Lotfi Achour (Tunisia). Premiered at Locarno. MPM Premium handled international sales, with Nour Films in France, Sovereign Films in the UK and Ireland, and ART in the MENA region.
- Jury Award ($5,000) and Audience Award - To a Land Unknown by Mahdi Fleifel (Palestine). Premiered in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes 2024 and played over 100 festivals. Watermelon Pictures distributed in the US.
Arab Feature-Length Documentary Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($10,000) - shared: (Y)our Mother by Samira El Mouzghibati (Morocco) and We Are Inside by Farah Kassem (Lebanon)
- FIPRESCI Award - Abu Zaabal 89 by Bassam Mortada (Egypt)
Non-Arab Film Competition:
- Black Iris Award ($4,000) - Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland (USA). Won the Lion of the Future and Orizzonti awards at Venice 2024. Music Box Films distributed in the US.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- *Inshallah a Boy* (2023, dir. Amjad Al Rasheed, Jordan) - Won the Audience Award at AIFF 2024. First Jordanian feature to premiere in Cannes Critics' Week, winning the Gan Foundation Award and Rail d'Or. Greenwich Entertainment released it in the US in January 2024. It was Jordan's Oscar submission and screened at over 100 festivals, winning 25+ awards.
- *The Strangers' Case* (2024, dir. Brandt Andersen, Jordan/USA) - Won the Black Iris Audience Award at AIFF 2024. Premiered at the Berlinale, winning the Amnesty International Film Award. Angel Studios released it theatrically in December 2025. The film has accumulated 50+ festival awards.
- *Fire in the Mountains* (2021, dir. Ajitpal Singh, India) - Won the Non-Arab Black Iris Award at AIFF 2021. Premiered at Sundance 2021, acquired by Film Movement for US distribution.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
AIFF's curatorial mandate is narrow: first and second features only. The name "Awal Film" is a hard eligibility rule. If your film is your third feature, do not submit. The programming team verifies director filmographies.
The Jordanian Premiere requirement is the strictest rule. Films that have screened anywhere in Jordan or are available on any VOD platform accessible in Jordan are ineligible. This catches filmmakers who assume their VOD release in a neighboring Arab country does not count.
The Arab Narrative competition draws the strongest submissions. An Arab debut feature with a festival track record at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, or Locarno will be competitive. The Non-Arab Competition is smaller but offers a genuine platform for international debut features to reach Arab audiences.
The AFID pitching platforms are a separate submission track. The Royal Film Commission offers $7,000 cash awards across multiple categories, and the IEFTA post-production award is EUR 6,000.
Industry Reputation Notes
AIFF occupies a distinct niche in the Arab festival landscape. Where the Cairo International Film Festival (founded 1976) programs established directors alongside emerging ones, and the Red Sea International Film Festival (founded 2021) operates at a larger scale with the Red Sea Souk market, AIFF focuses exclusively on debut and second films. This makes it the only Arab festival where first-time filmmakers compete only against peers at the same career stage.
Industry professionals describe AIFF as a talent discovery platform rather than an acquisitions market. The AFID industry program, with approximately 400 participants in 2025, is smaller than the Red Sea Souk but more focused on early-stage project development. Programmers from Sundance, Venice, and Locarno attend to scout Arab debut talent.
The cash awards ($15,000 for Arab Narrative) are substantial for a debut-focused festival. Cairo's Golden Pyramid carries $50,000 but is open to all features. AIFF's focused mandate means its winners receive recognition as emerging filmmakers, which carries weight with international programmers and Arab distributors like MAD Solutions.
Festival History
AIFF was founded in 2017 by Princess Rym Ali and has run seven editions through 2026. It is the only major Arab festival dedicated exclusively to debut and second films.
The festival has grown from a small inaugural edition to a nine-day event with record attendance in 2026. The 2025 edition introduced the Country of Honour program (Ireland) and The Spark Series web series showcase. The 2026 closing ceremony took place at the Amman Citadel.
AIFF has built partnerships with the Royal Film Commission Jordan, IEFTA, and FIPRESCI. The industry program has distributed over $50,000 in cash awards and in-kind services.
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See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For Arab cinema and Middle East film markets, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy for debut films, see Film Festival Strategy. For distribution deals, see Distribution Deals Explained.
