Petra, a mysterious setting
The reputation of this prestigious tourist site undoubtedly precedes its numerous appearances on the screen, but the fact remains that Petra must have benefited from the aura offered by the cinema to gain fame, and this from the beginning of the century. In 1938, the American film director and documentarian Hans Nieter, best known for his film Seven Years of Adventure in Tibet (1959), went to the site to capture the essence of the city. Neither the filmmaker nor his film will be a landmark, but we can already feel the attraction of cinema for this majestic city. In 1977, it is in the epic fresco Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger that the ruins appear again. In the late 1980s, the majestic façade ofAl-Khazneh became the entrance to the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Follow the Siq in the footsteps of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery to reach the tomb, the last stage of the quest of the father and son reunited. One of the mythical scenes of the saga, with one of its most beautiful settings magnified by the music of John Williams. It was enough to inspire many other Hollywood productions, starting with The Return of the Mummy (2001) which also used the Siq as a setting. Or Transformers 2: Revenge, where the Monastery (ad-Deir) will become the sanctuary of the extraterrestrial robots while the surrounding deserts will be used as Egypt, for lack of being able to shoot on site. Finish your visit of the city by the Theater or the great Nabatean temple, where Nicole Kidman walked as Gertrude Bell, British explorer heroine of Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert (2015). A district of Petra that had previously hosted the shooting of the atypical Ragada (2010), a Bollywood musical western. For documentary buffs, the city is finally a place of contemplation in Samsara (2011), a global visual odyssey in 70 mm, and is also the subject of an episode of Des Racines et des Ailes, as well as, for the youngest, of C'est pas sorcier!
From Wadi Rum to Hollywood
A legendary setting, the protected area of Wadi Rum has embodied the essence of the Middle Eastern desert on the big screen since David Lean's historic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), which won seven Oscars. A film whose unforgettable music by Maurice Jarre has defined most of the representations of the desert in cinema. Peter O'Toole walks these vast expanses as T. E. Lawrence of Arabia, the English officer and writer who united the Bedouin tribes during the First World War. You will probably pass by Lawrence's spring
during your visit, a stream of water flowing from the Jebel Mountains, described as "worthy of the gods" by the writer. Because this red desert where life hides in the shadows is easily accessible for filming, yet isolated enough to be suitable for otherworldly settings, Wadi Rum has been used as a surrogate for many alien planets in the 2000s and 2010s. Brian de Palma directed Mission to Mars (2000), while Val Kilmer and Carrie-Ann Moss (Trinity in the Matrix trilogy) were featured in the film Red Planet (2000). In 2012, Ridley Scott shot Prometheus, a new opus of his Alien saga, before returning to Wadi Rum with Matt Damon for Alone on Mars (2015). A film praised for its atmosphere, which owes much to this impressive setting. Wadi Rum has also lent its features to the planet Jedha in Star Wars: Rogue One (2016) where we see the arch of Jebel Kharaz, as well as very recently to the planet Arrakis in the wonderful adaptation of Dune (2021), by Denis Villeneuve. To travel through Wadi Rum is to travel alongside Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin or Zendaya, no less. There are many guided tours of the desert around the cinema, do not hesitate to inquire at the reception of the park.A country of cinema in the making
Although Jordanian productions of the 20th century can be counted on the fingers of one hand, film policy has greatly improved since King Abdullah II's accession to the throne and the founding of the Royal Film Commission in 2003. Today, it is through this institution that all requests for international filming pass, and it also ensures that Jordan's geological and cultural heritage is promoted to producers, mainly American. Thus, Jordan has become a substitute country for many films set in conflict zones or difficult to access for film crews. Two notable examples are Demineurs (2008) and Zero Dark Thirty
(2012) by American director Kathryn Bigelow, both shot in the streets of the capital Amman, which in turn looks like Baghdad or Islamabad.With many projects supported and even launched by local structures, Jordan is today a real country of cinema. On the bangs of the state body and despite strong control over production and local initiatives, a Jordanian short film festival was held between 2004 and 2011. It has been replaced today by an international film festival held every summer since 2019 in Amman, highlighting the diversity of national productions but also from the Arab and international world.
Thanks to a range of structures and increasingly advanced training, spearheaded by the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, Jordan received its first Oscar nomination in 2016. A success achieved with Theeb
(2014) by Naji Habu Nowar, a moving and captivating account of the First World War as seen from the perspective of a Bedouin child. Today, it is through streaming that Jordan is making its mark, with two projects produced by Netflix and available worldwide. On the one hand, Alrawabi School for Girls (2021), a series created by Tima Shomali and Shirin Kamal set in Amman and narrating the revolt of young girls against external aggressors in the school. On the other hand, Jinn (2019), a horror series for teenagers featuring a school trip to the ruins of Petra, still today a place of all possibilities and fantasies.
