25 Apr IEFTA at Aflamuna Connection and Alumni Wins!
IEFTA participated in the AFLAMUNA Connection that took place from 19 to 21 April. Lianne Llewellyn, Director of the Global Film Expression Initiative and IEFTA Partnerships, represented IEFTA as an industry expert at the event’s online platform and she was thrilled to witness two IEFTA Alumni filmmakers receiving awards during the event!
The IFFR Pro Producer’s Lab Award went to Ahmad Abdelsalam for American Dream directed by IEFTA Alumna Amir El Shenawy having previously been awarded the IEFTA GFE Initiative Award, and the ART Award went to Dry Sky Don’t Rain directed by Ibrahim Omar, and produced by IEFTA Alumna Aya Yusuf, having previously worked with IEFTA on her first feature documentary Samra, Before the Final Picture.
AFLAMUNA Connection (formerly known as Beirut Cinema Platform) is a co-production platform that brings together independent producers and directors from the Arab region with regional and international potential partners. The platform aims to foster cinematic alliances, encourage the development of collaborative productions. It is also proud to champion complex and daring subjects, underrepresented narratives, and projects that have yet to make it to the industry radar.
This year’s selection of projects comprised of 11 feature projects in development (5 fiction, 3 docu-fiction, and 3 documentaries), along with 3 films in post-production (2 documentaries and 1 docu-fiction). The projects come from the following Arab countries: Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia.
Amir El-Shenawy
DIRECTOR
Amir El-Shenawy, an Egyptian filmmaker, gained recognition with his debut feature documentary “Kilo 64,” premiering at the Cairo International Film Festival in 2018. The film earned nominations for Best Arab Film and Best Artistic Contribution and won the First Feature Film Award at the National Festival for Egyptian Cinema. His short documentary “EDRIS” received a Special Mention at the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia in 2022.
American Way
Inspired by the popularity of American-based World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a group of male and female wrestling enthusiasts in Ismailia, Egypt, come together to practice, promote and produce WWE-style events. Despite having limited resources but possessing unwavering determination, they are prepared to revolutionize their lives and chase after aspirations of international recognition both inside and outside the ring.
Aya Yusuf
PRODUCER
Aya Yusuf, an Egyptian Producer, Director, and Editor, co-founded “Shoghl Cairo Pictures” in 2020. With a Mass Communications degree from Cairo University, she delved into documentary filmmaking after joining “See Media Production” in 2013. Her editing credits include award-winning films like “From Cairo,” on Netflix.
Dry sky ..don’t Rain
On his way back to his hometown, Ibrahim endeavors to build what he has dreamt of all his life. However, he faces a fate intertwined with the memories of the past in the village. Alongside his friend and their donkey, he strives relentlessly to break free from this constraint.
About AFLAMUNA
AFLAMUNA is a cultural nonprofit based in Beirut working to harness the power of independent Arab cinema to elevate the most pressing social, political, and cultural movements of our time. Established as a cooperative under the name of Beirut DC in 1999 by a group of Lebanese filmmakers and cultural organizers, it became a nonprofit organization in 2006 under the same name, launching multiple programs and initiatives that helped independent cinema flourish in the Arab region. Today, after over two decades, AFLAMUNA upholds this legacy while keeping an eye to the future.