Moroccan Short Film Officially Picked For Hollywood, Venice Festivals

Rabat – Moroccan short film “I Asked the Cedar Tree” was officially selected for this year’s edition of Venice Shorts, as well as the Hollywood International Golden Age Festival.

The two festivals discover, promote, and celebrate talented filmmakers from around the world. Hollywood International Golden Age adopts a special format since it is a monthly New York-based short film festival with a yearly event.

The short film portrays the journey of “a musician [who] ventures into the woods in order to find the inspiration to write a new song,” director Taha Mrichi told Morocco World News.

“I Asked the Cedar Tree” film pays tribute to Ifrane, a city that Mrichi and his team deeply love and derive inspiration from.

Ifrane, said Mrichi, is “a place where I have spent some of the best years of my life when I was pursuing a college education at Al Akhawayn University, and where the surrounding beauty of the place was a constant inspiration to me.”

Along with giving credit to his source of inspiration, the Moroccan director chose an “almost intimate quality” to the film by casting one singer/actor. The choice reflects the personal journey which an artist goes through in search of inspiration.

Recalling when he and his team received the news about the short film’s selection, Mrichi said, “we were extremely happy to have our work recognized and appreciated by leading members of the film industry.”

“Being featured in film festivals is strongly encouraging and is a great way to build a network with fellow filmmakers and industry professionals. We most certainly hope it does help with getting the necessary funding to create bigger projects,” he added.

From the age of 17, Mrichi has grown to take an interest in photography. His passion for stories and photography has naturally gravitated him towards video-making and then filmmaking.

While completing his bachelor’s at Al Akhawayn University, he decided to pursue filmmaking studies although it was not part of his field of study. Soon after his graduation, he pursued a master’s degree in film directing in Barcelona.

Currently, the young director is writing a script for his second short film. “I hope will see the light of day very soon,” he concluded.