iW NEWS | Jordan Joins Oscar Race With "Raed"

For the first time, the country fo Jordan is officially joining the race for the Academy Awards with the submission of Amin Matalqa's "Captain Abu Raed." An independent submission committee, recently constituted by the Royal Film Commission - Jordan according to the rules set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, convened on August 31, 2008 and selected the "Raed" to represent Jordan at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, due to be held on February 22, 2009. "These are exciting times. The mere fact that a Jordanian film will be submitted for the first time is an indication that the film industry in Jordan has matured," said Munir Nassar, Chairman of the Oscar Submission Committee for Jordan in a statement. "Raed" won Dramatic World Cinema Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival [Peter Knegt]