Growing up in Jordan, the international film industry never felt far away to Zain Duraie.

There was a shared history, she says, tied to the country’s role as a location for iconic global productions— such as David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962), with the unforgettable meeting of Peter O’Toole’s Lawrence and Omar Sharif’s Sherif Ali at Al Jafr Desert Well, or how the ancient ruins of Petra stole the show in the final scenes of Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

In recent years, the rise of Arab cinema and the central role Jordan has played — as both a visually striking backdrop and a regional filmmaking hub — has only deepened that connection. For Duraie, it meant opportunity. She got her start working on shorts produced by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, who regularly shoots in Jordan. Now, Duraie’s own debut feature, Sink — a drama about a mother navigating her son’s mental health crisis — will make its world premiere in the Toronto International Film Festival‘s (TIFF) Discovery section.

“I had a lot of exposure to filmmaking in Jordan,” Duraie says. “There’s a rich history of films being shot here, and the impact on the local scene has been really powerful. Now, when someone comes to shoot here, the first thing they notice is how professional the Jordanian crews are. That’s something we’re very proud of.”

Sink is one of several Arab films making noise at TIFF this year. Jacir is also premiering her latest feature, Palestine 36, a historical drama about the 1936 uprising against British rule that just became Palestine’s international Oscar submission. Shot in Jordan, the film is the first Arab production ever selected for TIFF’s Gala section, and has been submitted as Palestine’s official Oscar contender.

It was Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia that first ignited international interest in Jordan as a film location. The epic made breathtaking use of the country’s terrain, including the red cliffs of Wadi Rum and the rock formations of Jebel Tubeiq. Sixty-three years later, the images still captivate.

A wave of major productions has followed. Alongside Indiana Jones, Jordan has hosted Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune parts one and two. The Dune director famously said that he “fell in love with the people — and the landscape, of course, which is so stunning.”

“Every 25 miles, you have a totally different landscape,” Villeneuve told THR in 2021. “You have all different kinds of deserts here. I remember thinking, if I ever do a sci-fi movie like Dune, this will be the place.”

Ahmad Khatib, communications and culture manager at the Royal Film Commission — Jordan, says the country has become “an open-air studio” over the years.

“It’s a five-hour drive from north to south,” he explains. “You can see a huge diversity in locations as you go — from forests and lakes to Roman cities and historical sites, all the way down to Petra and the mountains in the south, ending in the Gulf of Aqaba and Wadi Rum.”

Filmmakers are also being lured by a revamped cash rebate scheme, introduced at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The program offers rebates between 25 and 45 percent of in-country spending for qualifying film and TV productions. Projects are assessed using a points system that factors in budget size, cultural value, and the incorporation of Jordanian content. The top 45 percent rebate tier is reserved for films that spend more than $10 million and prominently feature Jordanian cultural elements.

While Jordan’s Royal Film Commission was established in 2003, the country had long been a leader in producing Arabic television dramas, laying the groundwork for today’s production infrastructure. Jordan has already supported several Netflix originals, including the teen supernatural series Jinn, and sees significant growth potential in streaming content.

“With the rise of international platforms, and with a renewed focus on local storytelling, we see Jordan becoming a central production hub for the region,” Khatib says. “The Arab world has a population of over 450 million. We see it like the Korean and Spanish experience, where productions come to us. We are trying to push Jordanian productions, whether film or series, as high-quality productions and storytelling for the Arab and also the international audience.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the royal family have thrown their support behind the industry, backing it as a pillar of the country’s bold new Economic Modernization Vision. The government sees film as a driver of investment, tourism, cultural diplomacy, and soft power.

“Royal support is, of course, of great value because it has opened so many doors for filmmakers as well as the film commission to expand its work,” explains Khatib. “That is strategically very important to us. We did not fall into bureaucracy and the back-and-forth that goes with that.  Everyone recognizes, of course, the economic and cultural value of filmmaking.”

Among the most visible signs of progress is the opening of Olivewood Film Studios in 2023. Built outside the capital Amman, at a cost of €30 million ($35 million), the facility features two 16,000-square-foot soundstages and is currently home to the Arab-language version of The Voice, produced by MBC Group.

“Olivewood is one of the cherries on top,” says Khatib. “Of course, that did not [happen] by accident. We’ve had years of work preparing the country for mega projects. Everyone has their eyes on the film industry, whether the local one or the production services aspect, in which international films shoot here.”

Jordan’s new incentives package is also part of broader regional competition for global productions, says Bashar Abu Nuwar, production services manager at the Royal Film Commission.

“After COVID, there was a growth in the rebates and the percentages offered in so many regions,” he notes. “We had to review our situation, our competitiveness, and come up with a new rebate scheme. What used to be our highest bracket is now our minimum. Before, the minimum spend was $1 million. Now it’s just $250,000.”

That lower threshold opens the door to more indie features, commercials, and even music videos. Larger projects — especially those incorporating Jordanian culture — can access additional rebates.

“These extra percentages aren’t just there to attract productions,” highlights Abu Nuwar. “They are to promote Jordan and Jordan culture — our lifestyle and everything related to Jordan in the many movies.”