The Jordan International Film Festival, currently celebrating its 11th edition in Amman, has named acclaimed Jordanian filmmaker and film critic Adnan Madanat as its Festival Personality, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Jordanian and Arab cinema.
Madanat, the founder of the Cinema Department at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, was selected in tribute to a distinguished career spanning filmmaking, film criticism, and cultural leadership. As part of the festival’s opening program, held under the patronage of Minister of Culture Mustafa Rawashdeh, a documentary highlighting key moments from Madanat’s life and cinematic journey will be screened.
Since the early 1970s, Madanat has established himself as one of Jordan’s leading film scholars and critics, earning recognition at major Arab and international film festivals through his research, writing, and advocacy for cinema.
Born in Amman in 1946, Madanat earned a Higher Diploma in Cinema and Television from Moscow University in 1970. Throughout his career, he has worked as a filmmaker, writer, and researcher, directing several documentary films addressing Arab cultural and national issues.
Madanat has played a pivotal role in shaping Jordan’s film movement and visual culture. As the founder of the Cinema Department at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, he led its film program and cinema club for decades, introducing hundreds of films and discussions that helped cultivate generations of film audiences and deepen public appreciation of cinema.
In addition to his critical and cultural work, Madanat has authored and translated numerous books and studies on cinema, including In Search of Cinema, Transformations of Contemporary Arab Cinema, A Cinema in Search of Itself, and The Crisis of Arab Cinema. He has also served on the juries of numerous Arab and international film festivals and participated in leading industry forums, contributing significantly to the advancement of film culture and criticism across the region.