The city of Dakhla is currently buzzing with the rhythm of the 14th edition of the International Film Festival, which highlights the profound richness and diversity of African and Arab cinematography through feature films and documentaries.
During the opening ceremony on Saturday evening, the festival organizers paid special tribute to Moroccan filmmaker Hassan Benjelloun, Ivorian actress Naky Sy Savané, and Moroccan scholar and researcher Mohammed Noureddine Affaya, alongside a solemn commemoration of the late Moroccan music icon Abdelwahab Doukkali. Initiated by the Association for Cultural and Artistic Development of the Southern Provinces, with the support of several regional partners, the festival aims to continually strengthen its role as a vibrant space for artistic exchange and cultural reflection.
This edition, which runs until June 12, features a diverse program combining film screenings, conferences, technical workshops, and tributes, attended by prominent film and television personalities from Morocco and abroad. According to the organizers, 19 films representing 21 countries across Africa and the Middle East are actively competing in the feature film and documentary categories. These works, carrying deeply human narratives and distinctive cinematic perspectives, reflect the vast diversity of contemporary filmmaking and the richness of its aesthetic and narrative expressions.
Nine distinct feature films are competing in the official selection for the Grand Prix of Dakhla, the Jury Prize, the Best Actress Award, and the Best Actor Award. The diverse selection includes Quiproquo by Hamid Basket from Morocco, Fragments by Janane Fatine Mohammadi and Abdelilah Zirat from Morocco, Happy Birthday by Sarah Goher from Egypt, Rabsha by Mohammed Makki from Saudi Arabia, and Mikoko by Angèle Aquerburu Rabatel from Togo. Rounding out the feature competition are Beyond Illusions by Salif Kone from Côte d’Ivoire, Nyamula by Oskar Weimar from Kenya, The Gunless Soldier by Joyce Mhango Chavula from Malawi, and Round 13 by Mohamed Ali Nahdi, a joint production representing Tunisia, Cyprus, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
In addition to The Departure by Mohamed Fadel Joumani and Tear by Fouad Souiba, which proudly represent Morocco, the documentary selection also includes a powerful array of international works. Audiences will see The Other… Raeburn by David Pierre Fila from Congo, Border Life by Idrissou Mora-Kpai from Benin, The Man Who Plants Baobabs by Michel K. Zongo representing Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, Souraya My Love by Nicolas Khoury representing Lebanon and Qatar, and The Clown of Gaza by Abderrahman Sabah representing Palestine, France, and Qatar. The documentary category is completed by The Big Everything by Aminatou Echard from France, Belgium, and Niger, Beyond the Genocide by Zion Sulaiman Mukasa Matovu from Rwanda, and Memories of Love Returned by N.G. Mbaho Mwine, representing Uganda and the United States.
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