This year was an epic one for Jordanian films.
Three locally produced films won big at the 6th Annual Malmo Arab Film Festival : " 3,000 Nights " by Mai Masri (a Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker) won Best Feature Film and received the Audience Award. Ashraf Barhoum won best actor for his role Radi in the film "The Curve" and Asma Bseiso 's " Lissa Aisha " won best documentary.
3,000 Nights is Jordan's entry to the Oscars
Veteran filmmaker Mai Masri's comeback "3,000 Nights" is a hard-hitting drama about an Israeli women's prison. It centers on Leyal, a Palestinian newlywed, who gives birth to her son in prison after being wrongfully sentenced to 8 years in prison. Layal is sent to a high security Israeli prison where she joins with a group of politically active Palestinian prisoners, who regularly face off with Israeli inmates. The poignant realities of abuse and discrimination at Israeli prisons come through rhythmically and with great finesse. It is a beautiful rendering of the humanity behind headlines that we have become all too accustomed to.
The film features prominent Jordanian and Palestinian actors such as Rakeed Saad, Nadira Omran and Maisa Abdelhadi. "3,000 Nights" is also Jordan's entry at the 89th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
"Lissa Aisha" took more than 4 years to produce
"Aisha" or "Lissa Aisha" is a documentary that revolves around a little girl named Aisha, who was abandoned after birth and left at an orphanage. She lives in an abusive environment and the documentary portrays milestones of her life that turned her into the person she is today. Bseiso's initial idea was to make a film about orphans in Jordan, but when director she met Aisha at the orphanage she decided to tell the story through this one young girl.
"The Curve" stars Ashraf Barhoum from FX's Tyrant TV series
Rifqi Assaf's "The Curve" tells the story of Radi (Ashraf Barhoum) who leads a recluse life in his VolksWagen van. He set off on a journey where he is forced to overcome his antisocial bent and interact with a cast of unique characters. Along his voyage he meets Laila, a recently divorced Palestinian-Syrian woman, Sami a Lebanese artist who fled to Jordan after the 2006 war and a Jordanian policeman, who never runs out of questions.