Spanish Embassy of Jordan and the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative launch Hope Films, to focus on disadvantages Jordanian communities

While economic development continues to be a key focus of Spanish-Jordanian cooperation, cultural empowerment is also considered an essential component of human development.

"The objective of Hope Films is to identify and empower talents in disadvantaged communities in Jordan to use the language of film to share their stories," said Marta Agosti, cultural coordinator for the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation. "In the process, we help them acquire skills that can be useful in the job market."

Hope Films will lead to the production of a series of short documentaries focused on the themes of hope, survival, and endurance.
The films will then be screened at various cultural events and festivals in selected countries.

"Usually, the storytellers are concerned outsiders who are interested in Jordan and the challenges facing disadvantaged communities" said
Hazim Bitar, founder and coordinator of the Jordan-based Amman Filmmaker Cooperative. "With Hope Films, we also want filmmakers from
those communities to become the storytellers."

The workshops will be organized by the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative, using a mentoring and collaborative production system that has been
developed and refined over the years for non-filmmakers. Using this system, cooperative films have been selected to competitions and
special screenings of regional and international film festivals such as Locarno Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, Dubai Film
Festival, Tampere Film Festival, Tehran Short Film Festival, Ismailia Documentary and Short Film Festival, Carthage International Film
Festival and more.