The 29th edition of the Mediterranean Cinema Festival in Tetouan proved that honoring the artist Faouzi Bensaidi is no longer a “surprising matter,” as long as the man’s coronations are “deserved,” as described by his colleagues and many critics who believe that the director and actor who cried out for the first time in Meknes, “I am born,” has become “walking in The sky of Moroccan cinema, given the rich experience it has provided to the country’s seventh art since the late nineties of the last century.”
Bensaidi, who was “drawn” to the cinematic image after he was a theatrical performer following his graduation from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Art and Cultural Revitalization in Rabat and continuing his studies in the same specialty in France, has not yet been half a year since his last honor with the Golden Star at the International Film Festival in Marrakesh in November 2023. He has a bouquet of… The works “speak about him more than he speaks about them,” according to the words of the critics who highlighted the features of his “cinematic material” to Hespress.
They added in testimonies that bear a lot of consistency, “This director’s contribution to cinema does not deserve to be flattered or flattered, as much as he needs to tell the truth: his works are international.” However, what distinguishes the creator of “Death for Sale” (2011) and can it be present now in a context in which honors and awards are pouring in while he insists on admitting that he “stands and looks with a critical eye at what has been accomplished, and how can a person develop and renew so as not to become vulgar?”
“A real director”
Idris El-Quray, a film and art critic, praised the “culture of recognition” against a man who added a “qualitative touch” to the Moroccan visual field, considering that “what distinguishes this director is that he has the qualifications, ability and sensitivity that make him a maestro who escapes the category of directing in the technical sense and falls into Directing in the human and artistic sense; He is that artistic, technically proficient person who at the same time carries a vision.”
The outlook that distinguishes Bensaidi, according to Al-Qari, stems from his knowledge of the universal cinematic heritage, and from adopting a special concept of creativity, art, and cinema based on his great experience, noting that the director of the masterpiece “Vulliy” (2017) is “one of the few people who can, when all the elements are present.” The technology in the photography tiles, and later in the composition, packaging, and mixing, is to create a magical atmosphere that goes beyond the limits of what technology can say.”
Al-Qari continued his critical testimony, which he delivered with impartiality, stating that the spectator in Faouzi Bensaidi’s works finds himself inside the picture, and not a simple observer and viewer from outside it,” attributing this “craft that Bensaidi masters” to his being an actor, and thus “he represents himself in a very profound way, and he is a director, which is What does reincarnation mean? How can one go beyond technical reincarnation to living the character? At the same time, he is a screenwriter, and therefore an expert in the language and its nooks and crannies.”
The Moroccan critic did not ignore what he considered “a sense of language present in the director, as it is part of the body and part of thought and emotions and feelings as well,” and he said: “In addition to this, he is also a director, meaning he can combine all the technicians to create that thing that he feels.” And he not only realizes and absorbs it; When all these elements are present, we are faced with a person who can tell cinematically and bring the viewer into the heart of the audience.”
Originality of style
Critic and writer Mohamed Chouika said that “the experience of director and actor Faouzi Bensaidi remains fundamental in the Moroccan cinematic scene,” stressing that he traced the path of his films since the short film “The Edge” (1997), in which he announced the consistent use of cinematic techniques, and in which he addressed a problem that he would return to in his film. The first novel, “A Thousand Months” (2003), concerns the topic of childhood and social fragility, and as it was presented in his first feature film, it raised the issue of power in general.
The authority that the director has been preoccupied with since his inception, according to what Shweika told Hespress, “includes authority as a management system and a social and cultural container present in the family, the job, the street, etc.,” noting that “The Edge and A Thousand Months are foundational to his experience, and what came after them are branches or variations.” And extras.” He continued: “His reliance on the general shot (plan général) is very appropriate for his perception of Moroccan society, and is also distinguished by its range between mixing the theatrical scene and the cinematic scene through the actor’s management and the placement of objects within the frame.”
The Moroccan critic pointed out that “the director chose unique viewpoints, camera movements, and a lot of use of still shots, and all of this helped a lot in understanding his cinematic style, which led him to be one of the most important Moroccan directors and one of the most important directors in the Arab and African arenas, as well as in the international arena, given that his films received acclaim.” Many awards, citations, appreciations, and performances, as well as critical acclaim in many Arab and international platforms.”
He added: “It can be said that he was able to choose for himself a style of his own that is compatible with Moroccan society. His cinema is far removed from Hollywood cinema, and closer to European cinema or Third World cinema, which tries to bring together the issues of authenticity and modernity, the struggle for power, the importance of the family, and the role of some issues in it. Before the economy and others,” he pointed out, referring to his latest film, “The Empty Third,” which contains within it a post-colonial vision characterized by a return to empty, vacant, open Morocco and to the issue of revenge and social fragility.
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2024-05-10 03:35:35
