By : JD
Jordan Daily – The second edition of the Jordan Children’s Film Festival (JCFF), organized by the Royal Film Commission (RFC), ended on Tuesday with the announcement of the winning films in the feature and short categories.
The festival, which ran for five days, showcased a variety of films for young audiences, including seven feature-length family films and 12 short films from 12 countries, most of which had won international awards. The screenings were followed by discussions with film experts, giving children the chance to express their opinions and engage with the films, according to a statement sent to the Jordan Daily.
The adult jury, composed of film scholar Amer Gharaibeh, children’s visual artist Rama Samkari, and early childhood development specialist Farah Jadallah, awarded the Best Feature Film Award to the Slovak film “Journey to Yourland” directed by Peter Budinsky. The Best Short Film Award went to the French film “Mum is Pouring Rain,” directed by Hugo De Faucompret. The jury also gave special mentions to the Jordanian feature film “Saleem,” directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, the Chinese film “The Little Horsewhip,” and the short film “The Christmas Tree School,” directed by Anastasia Makhlina.
The children’s jury, consisting of Lujain Zayed, Gibran Al-Barqawi, and Fares Awad, awarded the Best Short Film Award to the Egyptian film “Radya,” directed by Shima Tafesh. They also gave a special mention to the Algerian film “Ines,” directed by Jamal Basha. The audience voted for the Jordanian film “Saleem” as the Best Feature Film. The winners of the Best Feature Film and the Best Short Film received cash prizes.
The festival also included two workshops on puppet making and cartoon character design, which were held at the Al Hussein Social Foundation in Amman and the Officers’ Neighborhood School in Mafraq.
The RFC reached out to the governorates in the Kingdom through its different film centers, and brought groups of children from Wadi Musa, Wadi Rum, and Salt to attend the screenings. More than 1,000 children and their families participated in the festival’s activities.