Honoring Moroccan Cinema at Angoulême Festival

Moroccan cinema was honored during the official opening ceremony of the 17th Francophone Film Festival, hosted by Angoulême, southwest France.

In the presence of cinema lovers and big stars, such as Nathalie Baye and Kristin Scott Thomas, Morocco was honored as a country that embraces “the land of cinema and photography” and is distinguished by its ability to inspire international film productions. The national flag was raised on the city’s city hall building in the presence of its mayor, Xavier Bonnefont, the festival’s general delegates, in addition to the president of the National Foundation for Museums in Morocco and president of the Moroccan-French Friendship Circle, Mehdi Qotbi.

The programme of the events dedicated to Moroccan cinema includes a significant number of films, including the feature film “The Cursed Son” by Mohamed Asfour, “The Great Journey” by Ismaël Ferroukhi, “Ali Zaoua, Prince of the Street” by Nabil Ayouch, “Maroc” by Leila Marrakchi, and “Adam” by Maryam Touzani, who is also a member of the jury headed by the famous actress and director Kristin Scott Thomas.

This year’s edition of the Francophone Film Festival in Angoulême will also present, as part of its “world premiere”, the feature film “La Damnée” by Abel Danan, and the documentary “Events without Significance” by Moroccan director Mustapha Derkaoui.

As for the premieres, the festival will feature the film “Everybody Loves Touda” by Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch, as well as the comedy “A l’Ancienne” by Hervé Mimran, and “Le Choix du pianiste” by director Jacques Outmezghine.

On the sidelines of this cinematic event, a series of photographs by the late Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui will also be displayed in cooperation with the Arab World Institute.