Cinema of Jordan

Jordan has quickly developed in the past few decades and ascertained itself as an attractive filming country, due to a large number of combined factors: variety of locations, advanced infrastructure, moderate and sunny weather, professional cast and crew, governmental support for the film industry, easy administrative procedures and financial incentives. The cash rebate varies between 10% to 25%, depending on the spending, while productions are exempt from Jordanian taxes. Combined with the cash rebate, they can get as much as 56% back.

Blockbuster and iconic films stand as a proof of such a remarkable enabling environment. Just to name a few: "Lawrence of Arabia" by David Lean and starring Peter O’Toole in 1962, and which was shot in Wadi Rum; "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" filmed in Petra in 1988.

More recently, Kathryn Bigelow directed "The Hurt Locker" in Jordan and which won six Oscars awards in 2010. Others include: "Redacted" by Brian De Palma, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" by Clint Skene, "Fair Game" starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts and directed by Doug Liman," Battle for Haditha" by Nick Broomfield. Several international blockbusters were shot in Jordan: "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker" directed by J.J. Abrams and the live action "Aladdin" directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Will Smith. Worth noting that several helmet internationally renowned directors consider Jordan as their favorite filming location: Ridley Scott came several times to Jordan for the following films "The Martian", "All the Money in the World" and "Prometheus". After a resounding success for his movie "Incendies", Denis Villeneuve shot large parts of "Dune" and "Dune – 2" in Jordan.

In parallel, the local cinema industry quickly developed after a long dormant period mainly characterized by the production of TV series. A breakthrough came with the release of "Captain Abu Raed" in 2007 by Amin Matalqa, which was hailed as the first Jordanian film since decades. Many indie movies followed, including: "Transit Cities", "Recycle", "Blessed Benefit", "3000 Nights", "Salma's Home", etc.

The development of the local industry and the attractiveness of the Kingdom were largely crafted by The Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC), which was established in 2003 as a public institution, with the aim of encouraging filmmakers from Jordan and the region to express themselves through filmmaking and providing a place where people from the Middle East can freely make films in collaboration with the world's most talented filmmakers. Before the RFC, there were a few initiatives to support filmmakers at a smaller scale such as the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative. The RFC offers comprehensive production services, multiple training opportunities targeting different levels of filmmaking and organizes non-commercial screenings all year round. In addition, the RFC runs six film centers in the Kingdom. The RFC runs a fund of an annual value of 650,000 USD. Several award-winning Jordanian movies were granted funds, such as: "Daughters of Abdul Rahman" by Zaid Abu Hamdan, "Farha" by Darin Sallam, "The Alleys" by Bassel Ghandour.

In 2015 and for the first time in the Jordanian audiovisual history, a feature narrative film was short-listed at the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language: the highly acclaimed "Theeb" by Naji Abu Nowar. Another resounding success was the selection of the début feature "Inshallah a Boy" by Amjad Al-Rasheed in the Critics Week at Cannes Film Festival in 2023. The latter movie was strongly supported logistically and financially by the Royal Film Commission – Jordan. The relatively recent success of groundbreaking films has given Jordanians faith that they can compete on the global stage with true and uncompromising cinema.

Other cinema-related initiatives in Jordan include the following:

• In 2008, the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, a graduate school offering a Master of Arts in Cinematic Arts, was established. Over 100 filmmakers graduated from RSICA, most of which are active as film and education professionals in Jordan and the region. The school was closed down six years later due to lack of funding.
• By 2023, Jordan has signed two co-production treaties: one with Canada and the second with the Flanders (Belgium).
• The Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film was established. It is the first international film festival of its kind in the Kingdom. It is mainly dedicated to first-time achievements in the domain of filmmaking, with a focus on Arab cinema. It quickly gained regional and international recognition.
• In 2023, Olivewood Studios the first of its kind in Jordan were opened 10 kilometers away from the center of Amman. They include two purpose-built soundstages totaling 3,000 sqm, along with production offices, wardrobe, equipment storage and green rooms. The completion of the studios and backlot (68,000 sqm) marks a new stage in the Kingdom’s ambitious plans in the audiovisual sector.