20.12.2011 - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) announced today the projects to receive the general cinema grants for the year 2011. AFAC’s general grant for cinema opens between July and October yearly, for film projects of all kind (feature-length narratives and documentaries, short narratives, animated and experimental) and in all production stages (development, production, and post-production). Since its launch in 2007, AFAC had supported more than 40 film projects, including works by Elia Suleiman, Mohammad Malas, Ibrahim Battout, Anne Marie Jacer, Maher Abi Samra and others.

The jury for 2011 was comprised of three Arab award-winning directors: Elia Suleiman (Palestine), Faouzi BenSaidi (Morocco) and Rania Stephan (Lebanon).   

The jury selected thirteen projects to receive funding for development (3 projects) and production/post-production (10 projects).  The selected projects come from five Arab countries (Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria) and include feature-length narratives, animated documentaries, experimental and science-fiction shorts.

Speaking of the selection, Elia Suleiman says: “Our choices leaned generally towards young filmmakers with edgy projects treading daring roads. The risks reflected in these films were not taken on by the filmmakers just for the sake of risk, but rather to create poetic landscapes in marginal contexts incredibly expressive of the Arab world’s situation. They carry a deep sense of political and social involvement, but more importantly a cinematic language through which the research is taken and a close attention to details as the core of their cinematic search. Saying that, we were also moved by some projects by established filmmakers who are experimenting with new territories.”

The General Grant for cinema is one of three programs dedicated to Arab filmmakers. The two other programs are:

- The “Arab Documentary Film Program - ADFP”, AFAC’s special fund for documentary filmmakers from the Arab world, in partnership with the Sundance Institute. ADFP has announced its second cycle grantees last September with 16 documentary projects receiving development and production/post-production funds. 

- “Crossroads”, a new initiative launched in September 2011 aiming at supporting emerging Arab filmmakers with film projects related to the recent changes sweeping the Arab region.

Winners of the General Grant for Cinema 2011:

Development Projects

Poisoned Roses by Fawzi Saleh- Egypt
Little Joys by Al Sharif Mohammad Treibak- Morocco
Searching for Janitou by El Amine Mohamed Hattou- Algeria

Production/Post-production Projects

Ahlam by Shaza Moharam- Egypt
Nation Estate by Larissa Sansour- Palestine
Take me to this Place: I Want to Make the Artist by Hatem Akram Imam- Lebanon
Chaos, Disorder by Nadine Khan- Egypt
The Wanted 18 by Amer Shomali- Palestine
3000 Layla by Mai Masri- Palestine
Encounters by Sarah Francis- Lebanon
Passerby by Kamal Al Jaafari- Palestine
Stable Unstable by Mahmoud Hojeij- Lebanon
From the Arab World…With Love by Naseem Amouache, Areej Souheiri, Mais Darwazeh, Sameh Zoabi and Simon Habre- Palestine

For projects’ details, click here.