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Rabat – The first iteration of Marrakech Short Film Festival is scheduled to take place from the end of September to the beginning of October 2021.
The organizing committee has noted that the festival will take place across a variety of open spaces in Marrakech, including the Jnane Tamsna hotel, El Fenn hotel. It will also involve other places, including heritage sites in the ancient Laksour quarter in Marrakech, with an expected audience of 70 people daily – in line with COVID measures and social distancing rules.
The festival was founded by Ramia Beladel and Thais Martin, two creative directors who have experience in cultural events organization, making it Morocco’s first female only-organized big film festival. The co-founders aim to bridge Marrakech to the outside world by highlighting Moroccan and foreign talents in the filmmaking and directing industries.
Morocco World News spoke to Ramia Beladel, the executive director of the festival, about the inauguration of this first edition.
Beladel confirmed that there is no selection committee for the festival, so she reviewed more than 100 entries with Martin to select the most appealing films based on criteria such as cinematography, storytelling, visual appeal, and dialogue.
In addition to the aforementioned criteria, she affirmed, “I am mostly interested in films that depict realism in a poetic way – stories that are multilayered and address issues in contextual and honest ways.”
The pandemic is known to have been a major challenge for different industries. When the director was asked about the difficulties faced in the organization of the festival, she said that the challenges included “authorization for a date, the sponsors, the locations, and most of all, to find film loving spirits with an enduring belief in our community’s ability to build new things even when this situation is pushing us against a wall.”
Gender inequality in the film industry remains a lingering issue worldwide. As such, Moroccan women have been underrepresented in the industry for decades.
“Women have acquired lot of resilience through history and every woman has her own scenario of pushing the barriers,” Beladel commented on the matter while adding, “I think women in the industry don’t necessarily rely on production studios but are creating their own films, doing the writing, directing and producing themselves, which is both enchanting and inspiring. It is great to have women telling their side of the story.”
The executive director aspires to provoke profound ideas rather than superficial ones through combining her artistic approach and her directing skills.
As the community relies on arts and culture for moral support during tough times, the co-founders aim to involve the public in the making of the event, “I like to involve the public when displaying my artworks. For this festival, Thais and I are hoping to put on a paid event, where the public would be a participant rather than just a simple spectator,” Beladel said.
She highlighted the names of those who inspired her in her career, such as Sama Abdulhadi as the first Palestinian DJ to perform in international venues, as well as Fatima Zahra Somoe and Nirmine Elouardi who provide Beladel with a lot of help for which she is eternally grateful.
She compares her emotions of being the first female, alongside Martin, to organize the first festival made 100% by women in Morocco to Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon, saying, “When being asked about how I feel, I respond about other things because I believe that a woman’s joy is a collective experience.”
Egypt as a special guest country
The first edition of the festival will be marked by the participation of Egypt as a special guest country, with 15 Egyptian short films of prominent directors to be screened during the event.
The festival is also set to witness a decent number of international participants from Palestine, Algeria, France, England, Greece, Canada, and the Netherlands.
The Moroccan competition of the festival will be juried, with filmmaker Kamal Hachkar and producer of “Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes from the Mellah” documentary as the head of the jury committee along with Daniele Suissa, film director and producer, Marie Courtin, a leading photoshoot producer for fashion magazines, Mehdi Sefrioui, a fashion photographer, and Tarik Mounim, a French-Moroccan actor.
Among the shortlists nominated for best picture are Youssef Rhanem’s “Far From Casablanca,” Mohamed Rezki’s “Ghost of Spacetime,” Mohamed El-Haoury’s “The Last Wave,” and “Close Your Eyes” by Sigma technologies.
The list for best director candidates includes “Ghost of Spacetime” by Karim Tajouaout, “Dead Leaves” by Youssef Benjelloun and Yahya Bensliman, Youssef Rhanem’s “Far from Casablanca,” and Ousama Abdouh’s “Close Your Eyes.”
Mehdi Kanissi, Abdenbi El Bennioui, Azelarab Kaghat, and Mohamed Hmimsa compete for the best actor category.
