He pointed out at the opening ceremony of the festival, which honors the personality of the session, the director and film critic Adnan Madanat, that the importance of this session comes with its coincidence with the Ministry's interest and its adoption of the Jordanian Narrative program proposed by His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince, from the city of Tafila, stressing that the Jordanian narrative is closely linked to the film industry as the cognitive, intellectual, and historical framework that gives cinematic texts their identity and their local and global depth.
He also affirmed that the film industry contributes to enhancing the identity that links human history with his livelihood, values, customs, traditions, details of his life, and his connection to the place, pointing out that the importance of the festival lies in the use of stories and all elements of the film material as means to document the historical, social, and cultural heritage of Jordan, both ancient and modern.
At the ceremony, which was attended by the festival director, the director of the Theater and Arts Directorate in the Ministry, director Ishaq Yassin, and a large number of artists, stakeholders, and those interested, and presented by the artists Muhammad Al-Majali and Sandra Qawaar, Al-Rawashdeh, accompanied by Al-Ahmad, Al-Jarrah, and Yassin, handed over the personality of the festival session to Madanat, and handed over the festival's honorary icons to the artists Muhammad Al-Abadi and Abdul-Karim Al-Qawasmi, and the directors Salah Abu Hanoud and Ahmed Daeebs.
The opening ceremony of the festival, which lasts for 5 days, included a film material presentation about the participating films and a musical performance in which the artists Muhammad Khalil, Natalie Simaan, and Yazan Al-Sabagh participated, accompanied by the musicians' syndicate band, performing the song "Here is Raghdaan" and songs from the Jordanian musical heritage.
This year, the festival received 2099 films from various countries around the world, which were watched and evaluated by specialized committees, and 8 films were selected to participate in the official competition, in addition to the participation of 6 films produced by the Jordanian Ministry of Culture and 6 films from the creations of Jordanian university students, in a step aimed at supporting local film production and encouraging young talents, and the film screenings start at seven and a half in the evening.
