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Join on Telegram Rabat – The 21st edition of the Agadir International Film and Migration Festival concluded Saturday evening with Saïd Hamich Benlarbi’s feature film “La mer au loin” claiming top honors, including the festival’s prestigious Grand Prix.
Over five days of screenings, panel discussions, and cinema workshops, the festival brought together filmmakers, scholars, and audiences from Morocco and abroad.
The film “La mer au loin” also earned the award for Best Male Performance, given to Ayoub Gretaa for his portrayal of Nour, a young Moroccan who migrates illegally to Marseille, navigating a life of small-time crime and carefree indulgence.
His encounter with the unpredictable police officer Serge and Serge’s wife Noémie dramatically alters his path.
Gretaa was further recognized by the Critics’ Jury as a rising talent, a prize named in honor of the late Beninese filmmaker Paulin Soumanou Vieyra (1925-1987), which was awarded this year to the Franco-Palestinian film Palestine Islands by Julien Menanteau and Nour Ben Salem.
Best Female Performance went to Safa Gharbaoui for her role as Aya in the Belgian production “Têtes brûlées.”
The Directing Award was presented to Tunisian filmmaker Khedija Lemkecher for “Belles de nuit,” while Dani Kouyaté from Burkina Faso received the Best Screenplay award for “Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions.”
This year’s festival, organized by the Cultural Initiative Association, featured eight feature films and an equal number of short films in official competition, all exploring different aspects of migration.
Angola was the guest of honor, with several filmmakers from the southern African nation participating.
