The 9th edition of AFLAMUNA Connection took place online on September 12, 13, and 14, 2025, bringing together filmmakers, producers, and international experts in an intensive three-day program.

Seventeen projects from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Syria were presented, including 12 feature films in development and 5 works in post-production. Over 340 one-on-one meetings connected participants with more than 90 international professionals, opening pathways for collaboration and co-production.
In various shapes and forms, these projects carry the pulse of a region in upheaval, as well as the quiet, resilient heartbeat of those who refuse to be silenced.

In parallel, seven projects will head to Montpellier’s Cinemed as part of the ongoing AFLAMUNA x Cinemed encounters, expanding their reach and visibility in European markets.

The edition concluded with five awards, further supporting filmmakers in advancing their projects:

• CNC Award
  An €8000 cash prize offered by the “Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée”. Assigned by AFLAMUNA Connection 9th edition Jury to My Name Is Khalil, directed by Bilal Alkhatib and produced by Tania El Khoury.
• ART Award
  A $5000 cash prize awarded by the “Arab Radio and Television Network” (ART) for Four Fingers, directed by Yahya Al-Allaq and produced by Mohamed Al-Dradji.
• International Film Festival Rotterdam Producer’s Lab Award
  An Invitation for a film project’s producer to participate in the Rotterdam Lab, including travel and accommodation, awarded by IFFR Pro to Pipes, directed & produced by Karim Kassem.
• DB Studios – Beirut Award
  An In-Kind Award from DB Studios – Beirut, offering up to 3 days of Foley recording and up to 5 days of sound mixing, to I Am One Of Them, directed & produced by Nadim Suleiman, co-produced by Kasia Kuczynska.
• Documentary Association of Europe (DAE) Award
  Two complimentary 12-month memberships for “The Palm Grove Testimony”, directed by Rim Mejdi, produced by Rim Mejdi & Francesca Masoero, and a tailored one-on-one consultation with a senior DAE advisor on a subject of the team’s choosing, to encourage the international potential of their project.
• Special Jury Mention
  Recordanza, directed by Jalal Maghout, produced by May Odeh and Zorana Mušikić.

AFLAMUNA Connection once again confirmed its place as a living platform for independent Arab cinema, amplifying voices that insist on truth, memory, and imagination against erasure.