Rabat – The Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation (FIFM) announced Tuesday in a press release its decision to postpone the 19th international film festival in Morocco’s ochre city.
Given the current global health situation, the foundation said in its statement, it decided to focus on conducting the “industry and talent development” program for the fourth year to highlight its continued commitment to supporting the cinema industry across the African continent and the Arab world.
As part of the “industry and talent development” initiative, the Atlas Workshops will be held online from November 22 to 25 with the support of Netflix, a partner of the program since its launch in 2018.
The program prides itself on gathering a new generation of Moroccan, Arab, and African filmmakers – to create a space for exchange between international professionals and regional talents while exposing them to the international market by presenting their projects at a co-production market.
In 2021, Somali director Ahmed Khadar’s “The gravedigger’s wife” and Egyptian Omar El Zohairy’s “Feathers,” the winners of Atlas Prize Post-Production, were selected for competition at the “Semaine de la Critique” of the Cannes Film Festival.
Last year’s award winners also included Moroccan Sofia Alaoui’s “AMONG US,” a project in development that won the ARTEKINO International Prize organized by Arte, a highly regardedFranco-German television channel. Meanwhile, the Atlas Prize for Post-Production was awarded to “Rising up at night” by Congolese director Nelson Makengo.
FIFM has yet to decide on a new date for its 19th festival.
Established by King Mohammed VI in 2001, the festival is one of the biggest events devoted to Moroccan cinema, with a vision of promoting the North African country’s arts film industries.
