Some thirty or so films from across North Africa are competing at the first Maghreb Cultural Film Festival, which wraps up Friday (November 8th) in Algiers.
The main goal of the festival, which began on Sunday, is to "make the best Maghreb film productions known to the public". It is intended to serve as a "hub" for the Maghreb in Algeria, which will enable professionals to get together and "share experience with regard to the co-production, distribution and promotion of films", according to organisers.
The event was originally created in 2010 but had to be postponed due to the unrest in the region
"We have invited all film-makers and some producers. We haven't invited any stars. It is a brotherly festival of meetings. So we will take things gently," Karim Ait Oumeziane, the man in charge of the festival, told Magharebia.
He said the festival's aim was to introduce recent productions from the Maghreb film-making world, its iconic movie-makers, its themes and developments to the public.
The organisers said it would also act as a meeting-place for film-makers, directors, producers and technicians from the countries of the Maghreb in order to promote and develop exchange in the field of production and thereby foster cooperation. It will also enable the new generation of Maghreb film-makers to showcase their know-how.
A total of 11 Algerian films, 10 Tunisian films, 10 Moroccan films and four Mauritanian films will battle it out for the "Golden Amayyas" (Amayyas means "leopard" in the Tamazight language).
The feature-length films include "Zabana!" by the Algerian director Said Ould Khelifa, "El Taib" (The Penitent) by the famous director Merzak Allouache, "Harraga Blues" by Moussa Haddad, "Le Professeur" by Tunisian director Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud and "La cinquième corde" (The Fifth String) by Selma Bargach from Morocco.
Short fiction films slated to be screened at the festival include "Le Hublot" (The Porthole) by Anis Djaad, "Les souliers de l'Aïd" (The Eid Shoes) by Anis Lassoued from Tunisia and "Sur la route du Paradis" (On the road to Paradise) by Uda Benyamina from Morocco.
Among the documentaries that have been selected, spectators will be able to watch "Ibn Khaldoun" by Chergui Kharoubi, "Maudit soit le phosphate" (Cursed be the Phosphate) by Sami Tlili from Tunisia and "Femmes hors-la-loi" (Dance of Outlaws) by Mohamed El Aboudi from Morocco. One of the exclusives offered by the festival will be a preview showing of the documentary film "El-Oued El-Oued" by Algerian director Abdenour Zahzah.
The organisers regretted that there were no Libyan entries in the competition, but Libya will be represented on the jury and at the round-table discussions.
Nabila Sendjak, the festival's press officer, said that only films made over the two years prior to the event were allowed to enter the competition.
Abdelkarim Tazaroute, a member of the selection committee, said that "Moroccan film is making its presence felt through the technical and artistic quality of its films and through its output."
In addition to the screenings, conferences and a seminar intended to encourage a "trend of co-production and distribution of Maghreb films across the Maghreb region" will be held on Thursday.
© Magharebia.com 2013
