For the first time, an Amazigh film is among the films selected for the Cannes International Film Festival award
According to a communiqué issued by the Foundation of the International Film Festival in Marrakech, four films that were supported by the “Atlas Workshops” were selected among the selected line-up at the “Cannes” Film Festival for the current year. “An unprecedented historical event in which Morocco participates for the first time with three films.” For the first time, an Amazigh film will be among the films selected for the Cannes International Film Festival award.
The same source explained, according to what was reported by the official news agency, that two Moroccan films were selected in the “Un Certain Regard” section, a Jordanian film in the “Criticism Week” section, and a Moroccan film in the “Directors' Weekly” section, stressing that these choices consolidate the role of the "Atlas Workshops" program. The film industry and the development of talents for the International Film Festival in Marrakech, which was updated in 2018, as an incubator for cinematic projects and a pivotal professional platform in the region.
The film “Mother of Lies” by Asmaa Al-Director was presented at the “Atlas Workshops” twice, where it won the Atlas Award for Development in 2019, and the Atlas Award for Post-Production in 2021. While the movie “The Flocks”, by Kamal Al-Azraq, won the Artekino International Prize in the 2018 edition. 2019. The two films will be presented in the “Un Certain Regard” section next May
Amjad Al-Rasheed’s film “Inshallah We Will Be Born”, which won the Atlas Award for Post-Production in 2022, was selected in the “Criticism Week” section, becoming the first Jordanian film to participate in the Cannes Festival in all its sections.
“The Desert” by Faouzi Bensaïdi, which was previously presented in the “Atlas Film Shows” section last November in Marrakech, will be screened in the “Directors’ Fortnight” section.
According to the report, this selection sheds light on the support mission carried out by the Atlas Workshops, as well as the vitality of Moroccan cinema, which has never participated in three films in the same year at the Cannes Festival.
He pointed out that this momentum has been reinforced by the selection of several Moroccan films recently in well-known festivals, such as “Between Us” by Sofia Alaoui, which won the Sundance Festival award last January; and the movie “Queens” by Yasmine Benkirane, and the movie “The Damned Don’t Cry” by Faisal Boulifa Al-Mukhtarin at the recent Venice Festival; And the film “Fragments of the Sky” by Adnan Baraka, which presented its world premiere at the Locarno Festival last year, and all of these films benefited from the support of the Atlas Workshops.
The communication concluded that through the “Atlas Workshops” program, the International Film Festival in Marrakech supports the emergence of a new generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers, by creating a space for exchange between international professionals and regional talents, recalling that in the course of five sessions, the “Atlas Workshops” supported 111 projects. And films, including 48 Moroccan projects and films.
The sixth session of the Atlas Workshops will be held from November 27 to 30, on the sidelines of the twentieth session of the International Film Festival in Marrakech, scheduled for November 24 to December 2, 2023.
Source : websites