((Concrete Land)) by Asmahan Bikerat wins the ((Grierson)) Award
Best Documentary Film at the London Film Festival
Amman2 min read
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The Jordanian documentary film "Concrete Land", directed by Asmahan Bikerat, has achieved an international cinematic milestone by winning the Grierson Award for Best Documentary at the 70th edition of the London Film Festival, organized by the British Film Institute.
The film is Bikerat's first feature-length documentary directorial experience. It presents a human portrait of an Afro-Palestinian Bedouin family living in Jordan, facing threats of displacement and the challenges of urban expansion surrounding their home. The narrative explores the connection to land, home, and memory, as well as the fears regarding stability and identity that accompany spatial transformations.
Through the film, Bikerat followed the details of the family's life over eight years, documenting their relationship with the land and animals, and the changes that occurred in their surroundings, in a documentary approach that observes the impact of urban and social transformations on the lives of individuals and families.
This win places a Jordanian cinematic experience in the international spotlight, within a festival considered one of the most prominent cinematic events in the United Kingdom, allowing films from around the world to reach a wide audience and compete in specialized cinematic tracks.
The film had previously received a production grant from the Jordan Film Fund, as part of the support provided for local film production, which contributes to empowering filmmakers to develop their projects and present stories from the Jordanian environment to international screening platforms and festivals.
The work reflects the importance of documentary cinema in addressing human and social issues, and documenting the transformations that affect the human relationship with place through image and narrative, giving local experiences the opportunity to be present in global cinematic discussions.
