We are pleased to announce the eight institutions and initiatives selected in the third cycle of the AFLAMUNA Independent Resources Initiative.

Since its inception, the AFLAMUNA Independent Resources Initiative has supported more than 25 institutions and initiatives across the Arab region, not simply as a funding mechanism, but as an ongoing commitment to strengthening the independent film ecosystem from within. The AFLAMUNA Independent Resources Initiative backs the ideas, models, and people who dare to imagine new ways of producing, distributing, archiving, and teaching cinema.
This cycle’s selected institutions continue to embody that spirit. Working across six countries, they represent cinema advocates who build from the ground up, reclaim space in post-conflict contexts, center underrepresented voices, forge cross-border solidarities, and insist that film culture belongs to everyone.

Building from the Ground Up
Among this year’s cohort are Homs Cinema Society in Syria and Basra Cinema Center in Iraq, both founded in 2025, and both doing the difficult, necessary work of reactivating cinema in places where cultural infrastructure has been fractured. Alongside them, Marsam AlHakaya in Lebanon has been quietly building a generation of young animators through hands-on practice labs since 2021. In Jordan, Madd Moshawash pushes the boundaries of what co-created production can look like for underserved communities, with a particular focus on people with disabilities, especially Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.

Regional Innovation and Collaboration
The initiative also recognizes the essential work of circulation and preservation. Egypt’s Wekalet Behna is pioneering new models for getting Arab films to Arab audiences, while Morocco’s Association La Filmoteca is doing the archival work that makes memory possible. Algeria’s Let’s Make Your Film shows how a freelance-rooted initiative can grow into a serious industry force, while Rawiyat – Sisters in Film, a pan-Arab collective founded in 2019, continues to carve out space for Arab women filmmakers through mentorship and transnational collaboration.

Sustainable Development Focus
Like all past edition grantees, this year’s cohort refuses to wait for infrastructure to arrive; they are building it. From community screenings and youth workshops to archival preservation and cross-border co-production, these institutions are developing the long-term foundations that independent cinema in the Arab region needs: not just projects, but ecosystems.

The AFLAMUNA Independent Resources Initiative exists because we believe the future of Arab cinema will not come from the center, but from the people and places that have always found a way to tell their stories.