FIFM contributes to boosting Morocco’s movie business, creating skills

“Since its historic launch in September 2001, the Marrakech International Film Festival has brought together some of the biggest names in world cinema, confirming Morocco as a prime destination for major foreign productions, and in so doing, the Festival contributes to the dynamism of Morocco’s film industry and the development of its talent,” burdened Prince Moulay Rachid, President of the Festival Foundation.

In a message revealed on the Festival’s official web site on the event of its 21 st version, which runs from November 29 to December 07, Prince Moulay Rachid wrote that, in accordance with the rules laid down by King Mohammed VI, when the occasion was created, “the Festival’s drive to promote and support young cinematic talent has not wavered over the years, and has led, through various development and training initiatives, to the birth of the Atlas Workshops.”

This program, launched in 2018 by the Festival Foundation to assist rising younger Moroccan, Arab, and African filmmakers, has matured into a real incubator of regional expertise, Prince Moulay Rachid mentioned, including that it has supported a whole lot of works in progress and fostered the emergence of a brand new technology of filmmakers, together with the younger Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir, who, for the primary time within the historical past of our nation and the Festival, received the Étoile d’Or in Marrakech. “Her film, The Mother of All Lies , received support from the Atlas Workshops platform, where it also garnered two awards,” Prince Moulay Rachid mentioned.

Prince Moulay Rachid added that this expertise, which is certain to be a supply of inspiration for future generations of enthusiastic filmmakers, “is the logical continuation of the film industry’s expansion in Morocco, where last year the number of films produced rose to thirty-four.”

“As part of this ongoing imperative to strengthen the Moroccan film ecosystem, this year has seen the development of the Atlas Workshops program with the launch of the Atlas Station, an initiative tailored to the needs of young national professionals and that will support them in developing their skills, with a view to exposing them to the international industry,” Prince Moulay Rachid added.

Prince Moulay Rachid said that movie critics and the media “are also at the heart of the Festival’s development strategy, as their input is essential to the life of any film,” including that “to keep pace with the evolution of the film industry, advanced training sessions have been scheduled for these professionals.”

Prince Moulay Rachid additionally famous that the inventive program of this twenty first version of the Festival is enhanced by three vital tributes: to Naïma Elmcherqui, the grande dame of Moroccan cinema, who has sadly handed away; to two-time Academy Award-winning US actor and director Sean Penn; and to Canadian acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg, including that the jury, which has the weighty activity of figuring out probably the most promising skills, is presided over by Luca Guadagnino, the Italian director of nice expertise and elegant aesthetic imaginative and prescient, not forgetting the Conversations, which can intention to carry festival-goers even nearer to the experiences of nice movie professionals, corresponding to the good administrators Tim Burton and Alfonso Cuarón.

“The Marrakech International Film Festival is delighted to welcome you, and looks forward to making this moment of culture and international camaraderie a place of emotion and sharing, one that sends a message of dialogue and peace to the world,” Prince Moulay Rachid concluded.