At this year's 82nd Annual Academy Awards ceremony, The Hurt Locker scooped six wins out of nine nominations, including original screenplay, best director, and best picture, writes Gary Strauss for USA Today.

The war thriller, which follows a US army bomb disposal unit battling the endgame of the Iraq war, was based on screenwriter Mark Boal's experience as a journalist with the army in Baghdad.

Director Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman in history to win the Oscar Award for Best Director, paid tribute to the country of Jordan in her acceptance speech, saying that she was impressed by the hospitality and support provided by the Jordanian people and the local cast members, reports Joanne Bladd for Arabian Business.

Although the film was initially set to be shot in Morocco, The Hurt Locker was later filmed in Jordan due to its similar terrain and proximity to Iraq. “They didn’t need to dress the location up, they were pretty much ready,” noted the movie's production consultant Fuad Khalil.

The movie has placed Jordanian producers, cast and crew, and locations under the Hollywood spotlight, says Taylor Luck of The Jordan Times. “We have seen increased attention, and there will be a lot more films coming,” states Khalil, predicting that several new films and documentaries will be filmed in the Kingdom this year.

Princess Rym Ali, whose husband Prince Ali has established the Royal Film Commission (RFC) in 2003 to promote the rising Jordanian film industry, said in an interview with Agence France Presse, "The success of any movie filmed in Jordan ... is always a plus for our kingdom, for its economy, for its tourism as well as for its budding film industry."

Her statement rings true with The Hurt Locker’s eminence. The RFC reported that approximately seven million dollars were spent during filming in Jordan. Several local families had also rented their houses or property to the crew, generating extra cash flow in the process.

While 25-30 Jordanian actors were involved in the production of the film, around 300 others were employed as extras. The casting director of the movie, Lara Atalla, claims that the film has left behind a proven talent pool awaiting other major film productions.

Atalla asserts that these "so-called amateur actors" are honing their skills as young Arab professionals. “Jordan has a lot to provide the film industry with, especially in the casting field. We have a lot of high-potential actors, which many people are now seeing," she adds.

On a similarly optimistic note, Princess Rym anticipates that the successes of The Hurt Locker will boost Jordan's homegrown film culture. "We really would like to use this as a means to an end, to help us build a film industry," she revealed in an interview with Sky News.

Rym also highlighted another benefit of foreign films. Apart from being a valuable learning experience for viewers, these films play "an important role in helping foreigners get to know our people, the Middle East and appreciate who we are."

While other Oscar-winning films have been filmed in Jordan, such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Laurence of Arabia, RFC General Manager George David maintains, “We are almost certain that this is only the beginning.”