Hazim Bitar is a Palestinian-Jordanian producer, writer, and director. He founded the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative, which serves as the launching pad for some of Jordan's leading independent filmmakers. Since its founding, the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative has provided cinema education to hundreds of Jordanians and Palestinians, mainly in disadvantaged areas.
Bitar is the founder and director of the Jordan Short Film Festival (JSFF), established in 2005 with the main purpose of giving voice to Jordanian indie filmmakers. Though small in size, the festival quickly evolved into a regional player through which numerous independent Arab and other filmmakers have made their debut on the international film festival circuit.
He is invited frequently to international forums to speak on independent cinema of the South. In 2007, L' Institut Français du Proche-Orient, a prominent French think tank on the Middle East, named Bitar as one of 27 influential Jordanian figures. Bitar served on the international jury of the academy-certified Tampere International Film Festival.
Hazim Bitar was born in 1964 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents who were exiled by the Israeli invasion and occupation. He migrated to the USA to pursue his education, before he moved to Jordan in 2002. He completed his undergraduate studies in computer and information science at the Millersville University, PA, and his Masters in Organizational Management at the George Washington University, DC. His entry into filmmaking has roots in civil and human rights activism. He produced a number of documentaries in support of United Nations projects with focus on refugees and women issues.
His credits include numerous award-winning documentaries and films; his cooperative has produced short films that have been selected to various Academy-certified short film festivals.
Filmography
Into the Belly of the Whale (Short) 2010
Al Mash'hd (Short) (Co-Director) 2008
Sharar (Short) 2006
Growing Up in Amman's Suburbia 2006
Jerusalem’s High Cost of Living, 52’, Beta, Documentary (Palestine/USA 2001)
Uncivil Liberties, 52', Beta SP, Documentary (U.S.A., 1998)
