Benalal: Festivals are a way to introduce films

Moroccan director Mehdi Benalal said that festivals are not only useful, but they are very necessary because they are a means of introducing films that are not shown on the big screen, and also those that are shown in a secret way by which the festivals become known and take care of bringing them out of oblivion.

Benalal highlighted that in light of the confrontation with cinematic productions that are full of massive production methods coming from the United States of America, any means or forum for promoting, promoting and introducing national cinema and independent cinema “is a very important issue and its role should be emphasized.”

The Moroccan director revealed, in an interview on the sidelines of the Mediterranean Film Festival in Tetouan, that “any filmmaker worthy of this title must guarantee his independence and strive to preserve it,” noting that “this is achieved by criticizing the accepted traditional forms and taking a distance.” A critique of the dominant ideologies that impose their logic within mass productions.”

He added, “Independent cinema worthy of this description is, first and foremost, cinema created by a group of people who think and take precautions and do not be led away, but also struggle with themselves, far from being simplistic and swayed by what is trendy and prevailing.”

Benalal stated that as a director, he considers himself a viewer all the time before he becomes a cinematographer, and that he does not abandon this perception because, in his view, this vision is what enables him to bring up the issue of the audience in the various works that any other director creates.

The Moroccan director pointed out that “Eric Homer was inclined to sudden accidents, coincidences, and secrets, but he contributed greatly to modernizing cinema without abandoning simplicity in artistic treatment, with a clear keenness to remain very close to the characters,” concluding that “every film One of his films is a full-fledged cinematic lesson, and it is also a lesson in psychology and the deception of characters.”