RFC launches ‘Cinema for All’ in correctional, rehabilitation centres

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s inmates are to become cinema audiences under a new project to deliver “Cinema for All” to several of the country’s correctional and rehabilitation centres. 

The Royal Film Commission (RFC) on Monday launched the project in cooperation with the Public Security Department (PSD), represented by the management of correctional and rehabilitation centres, in a bid to serve a large segment of inmates in centres throughout Jordan.

The project aims to provide cultural and social entertainment for inmates, by showing Jordanian films and offering a rare opportunity to engage with the community outside the walls of the centres, a RFC statement said.

The project will showcase a selection of Jordanian films which fit with other cultural activities conducted in these detention places.

 The inauguration of the “Cinema for All” project is part of the RFC’s efforts to present cinematic events to various segments of society across the country. It also falls within the PSD’s strategies to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them to re-integrate into society, the statement added. 

 Since its establishment, the RFC has emphasised the inclusion of cinema in cultural events in order to reach the widest social segments possible, in partnership with different sectors and institutions, according to the statement, adding that  culture, and especially cinema, can cross barriers and build bridges between individuals and their communities.

 The PSD prepared suitable venues for the screenings and facilitated their organisation in selected centres, while the RFC provided the screening rights for the films, in addition to high-quality technical equipment. 

 The RFC has organised seven film screenings in several governorates as part of the project. 

The first phase of the project included the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre for Women and other centres in Marka, Umm Al Lulu, Al Muwaqqar, Karak, Maan and Tafileh. 

The rest of the centres will be included later, the statement added. 

 The screenings were “very well received” by the detainees and the management of the centres, the statement noted, adding that they interacted with the film in a “remarkable” way and expressed their appreciation to have such events organised for the first time in the centres, as well as their desire for more similar activities.