The Cultural and Artistic Animation Association of the Southern Provinces is organizing the 12th edition of the Dakhla International Film Festival from June 3rd to 9th under the theme 'Dakhla, Gateway to Africa

Following its tradition of affirming its African identity as a gateway to the continent, the festival plans for this edition a rich cultural and cinematic program. This includes films produced and created by African artists, reflecting the vitality and originality of the continent, both in its sub-Saharan and Arab parts. This programming forms a coherent and interconnected whole, while remaining open to other Arab countries and the rest of the world. The aim is to foster a creative dialogue that also interests film actors external to the continent, as clearly demonstrated by the film selection for this edition

The jury for the short film competition consists of Moroccan director Adil Fadili as president, along with Cameroonian director Mary-Noel Niba, Tunisian cinematographer Amine Messadi, Moroccan journalist Laila Ellab, and French director and editor Catherine Mantion

Homenajes : Homages, Coloquios : Colloquiums Clases magistrales : Masterclasses,Proyecciones públicas : Public screenings

Tributes will be paid to directors Joseph Kumbela from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mohamed Abderrahman Tazi from Morocco, as well as Moroccan actress Majdouline Idrissi.

In the realm of culture and education, crucial for the film industry, a colloquium will be organized addressing an innovative perspective under the theme: 'Cinema and Artificial Intelligence: A Poisoned Gift?' A roundtable discussion on 'Cinema and the National Narrative' will also take place, moderated by journalist Karim Douichi

Additionally, there will be two masterclasses: the first one will be led by American executive producer Monique R. Witte, focusing on 'cinema and distribution: audiovisual dissemination strategies,' while the second one will be conducted by director Mohamed Abderrahman Tazi, sharing his cinematic experience. Finally, a directing workshop will be held under the guidance of director Mohamed Ahed Bensouda

As usual, public screenings open to the general audience will take place, including new Moroccan films such as 'Les divorcées de Casablanca' by Mohamed Ahed Bensouda and 'Ana machi ana' by Hicham Jabbari. Animated films for children will also be screened.

Dakhla Project

What marks a significant evolution in this edition is the launch of the 'Dakhla Project' Platform, with Moroccan, African, and Arab reach. Its aim is to provide material and training support to developing feature film script projects, both fiction and documentaries, of interest to Arab, African, or their respective diaspora producers and directors

Thus, ten film projects from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt have been selected. Eligibility for this support will be evaluated by an international jury of specialists, including Moroccan director Farida Benlyazid, Ouagadougou Film Festival delegate Alex Moussa Sowadego from Burkina Faso, director Moussa Touré from Senegal, and writer and screenwriter Medhat El Adl from Egypt

Article source: lobservateur