Film Forum

The Arab Film & Media Institute (AFMI) aims to be a complete ecosystem to find, nurture, and showcase Arab talent in the United States. Starting with organizing school screenings, and growing into offering filmmaker services and original programming, AFMI is the place for Arab cinema and its fans, and the home of the Arab Film Festival.

Amjad Al Rasheed, born in 1985, is a Jordanian director and writer who holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts, specializing in Directing and Editing. His debut feature film, INSHALLAH A BOY, had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, as part of the prestigious La Semaine de la Critique. This marked it as the first Jordanian film ever to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It further garnered recognition by winning the Gan Foundation Award. Following its Cannes premiere, INSHALLAH A BOY was also featured in numerous international film festivals, including TIFF, the Busan International Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival, and the AFI Fest, among others. In 2016, Al Rasheed was recognized by Screen International as one of five "Arab Stars of Tomorrow," shining a spotlight on talents from the region. Prior to this, Amjad was invited to participate in the Talent Campus during the 57th Berlinale, after which he directed three short films that received acclaim at multiple Arab and international film festivals.

Yasmina Tawil is a film programmer & curator living in Brooklyn, NY. She is the Director of Film Programming at the Arab Film and Media Institute and holds a degree in Film & Television from Boston University. Yasmina's love of film is closely tied to her passion for art and activism and she strives to bring diversity to cinema.

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Supported by a Humanities New York Action Grant

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