Aflamnah expands with DIFF duo

Established in July 2012 by regional media professionals Vida Rizq and Lotfi Bencheikh, Aflamnah is a fund-raising platform for creative projects in any domain from across the Arab world.

The site was recently used to raise finance for Jinan Coulter’s Searching For Saris, which premieres in DIFF’s Muhr Arab Documentary competition on Sunday night, and Amal Al-Agroobi’s The Brain That Sings, a contender in the Muhr Emirati competition.

Coulter raised $21,330 through Aflamnah for Searching For Saris when the film was at post-production stage. The feature documentary is about a former Palestinian village on the edge of Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israelis in 1948. It was also supported by DIFF’s Enjaaz post-production fund.

“Aflamnah offered me a fantastic opportunity to raise the additional funds I needed for my film,” said Coulter.

Local filmmaker Amal Al-Agroobi raised $15,160 for her second film, The Brain That Sings, during the development and pre-production stage. The film revolves around two Emirati children with autism. “Aflamnah has become the go-to place for creatives to get their films funded,” said Al-Groobi.

Other projects recently supported by Aflamnah include sci-fi thriller short 51, starring Navid Negahban (Homeland) and model Omar Borkan Al Gala, who recently hit the headlines as the man “too handsome for Saudi Arabia”. The film raised $56,380 through Aflamnah.

Projects currently looking for finance on the site include up-and-coming Jordanian filmmaker Bassam Alasad’s On The Edge, capturing life in Amman through the relationship between a businessman and a younger woman. It is his first feature following short film Life For Rent.