Meet the Team

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Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Writer & Director

Darin J. Sallam is an award-winning Jordanian writer and director of Palestinian roots. She holds an MFA from the Red Sea Institute of​ ​Cinematic Arts (RSICA), affiliated with the University of Southern California. Her previous credits include 5 short films. 

Her critically acclaimed debut feature film FARHA (2021) premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival and garnered numerous accolades, including a historic first win for Jordan at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards “the Asian Oscars”, making Sallam the first Jordanian director ever to be awarded an APSA​. FARHA also represented the Kingdom in the International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2023. 

Sallam is a Berlinale Talent, a Robert Bosch Film Prize recipient, an Asia Pacific Screen Academy member and a Film Independent Fellow. She was a jury member at international film festivals, most recently the BAFTA-Yugo grant. Sallam is also co-founder & managing partner of the Amman-based production company TaleBox.

Recipient of King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein’s Order of Excellence Insignia, Sallam was also named among Variety’s Impactful International Women of 2023 and received the IMEU (Institute of Middle East Understanding) Storyteller Award 2023.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Producer & Script Consultant

Deema Azar is a Jordanian film producer and script consultant. She is also co-founder and managing partner at the Amman-based production company TaleBox. 

Azar produced Darin J. Sallam's award-winning debut feature film FARHA (2021). The film premiered at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival, was selected as Jordan’s official entry to the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars) 2023 and received the Best Youth Film award at the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, marking a historic first win for Jordan at APSA “the Asian Oscars”.  She also produced the short film THE PARROT (2016), recipient of the 2015 Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. 

Previous positions occupied by Azar include Regional Training Manager at the Royal Film Commission – Jordan (2012 - 2016) and Head of Industry at the Amman Intl. Film Festival (2020).

A member of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and a Torino Film Lab Story Editing program alumna, Azar also works as a script consultant, conducting script development labs and advising for film entities regionally and internationally in addition to privately consulting on film projects. 

Producer - Consultant

Ayah Jardaneh is a Jordanian-Palestinian producer. She holds a B.A. in Interactive Multimedia and Design from Carleton University and Algonquin College, Canada. She also obtained certificates in producing from the New York Film Academy, PGA certificate, and 3D intensive from VanArts.

Jardaneh started her career in film by joining the Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC). She then launched her career as a freelancer in the production department by working on numerous productions including: UNDER THE SHADOW (2016), winner of BAFTA for Outstanding Debut; THE PARROT (2016) which premiered at the 2016 Dubai International Film Festival and THE GREAT ARAB REVOLT (2017).

Jardaneh produced FARHA, Darin J. Sallam’s award-winning debut fiction feature which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2021 and was selected to represent Jordan at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars) in the international feature film category. The critically acclaimed film achieved a historic win for Jordan by winning the Best Youth Film award at the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards “the Asian Oscars”.

Jardaneh is a member of the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Academy and is a Producer-Consultant at TaleBox for media production.