AMMAN - Seven prominent producers toured the Kingdom this week to become better acquainted with Jordan's diverse locations and production opportunities, according to the Royal Film Commission (RFC).
Under an invitation by the RFC, members of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) spent a week in the Kingdom touring production facilities and locations.
During their stay in Jordan, a seminar was held with Jordanian producers to discuss the country's burgeoning film industry and production market.
To familiarise the delegation with the Kingdom's diverse landscapes, the US producers were brought to the rose- red city of Petra, the desert expanse of Wadi Rum, the Roman ruins of Jerash, the mosaic city of Madaba, and the Dead Sea as well as the greenery of the Dana and Dibeen nature reserves, according to a statement released by the commission.
A second seminar was held with the producers in Aqaba for students of the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, the RFC added.
At the conclusion of their visit to the Kingdom, the producers met with HRH Prince Ali, RFC chairman, and announced a one-year scholarship for a Jordanian filmmaker to be trained as a producer through the PGA in the US.
Commenting on the visit, George David, the RFC's deputy general manager, said the feedback from the US producers was "very encouraging".
"We trust that this trip will pave the way for concrete action and for attracting more foreign productions to Jordan," David said.
The visiting producers included PGA Executive Director Vance van Petten, Branko Lustig (CEO of Six Point Films and producer of "Gladiator", "Schindler's List", and "The Peacemaker"), Stuart Levy (producer of the GTO TV series and CEO of Manga Media Co.), Lori McCreary (CEO of Revelations Entertainment, producer of "The Maiden Heist", "Invictus", and "10 Items or Less"), Kayvan Mashayekh (producer, director and writer of "Batting for Palestine" and "The Legend of Omar Khayyam"), George Nejame (producer of "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda" and "Mutant X") and Kathleen Courtney (producer and production manager of "The Score", "Meet Dave" and "Lucky You").
Approximately 22 foreign productions have been shot so far in Jordan this year, according to the RFC.
By Taylor Luck
© Jordan Times 2009
