The 15th edition of The International Women's Film Festival of Salé (FIFFS), curated by the Bouregreg Association from September 26 till October 1, will celebrate the African cinema with a special segment dubbed “Special of Africa” and by hosting Senegal as a guest of honor.
The organizers said in a statement that this year’s edition of the festival has a special rhythm that places it in the heart of African, cultural interaction in all its spectrums, noting that Africa “has always been a unique and exquisite cinema destination given it natural, human, cultural, and civilizational richness. African filmmaking industry has always maintained a special depth, and a significant symbolism thanks to its ethnic, linguistic, and geographic diversity.”
Celebrating Rabat as capital of African culture, and emphasizing Morocco’s roots in the black continent, FIFFS has planned the “Special of Africa” segment to honor the feminist figures and voices in Africa through the “Panorama of Sub-Saharan Cinema”, which include eight movies representing seven countries in addition to Morocco, produced by women, and revolving around women and gender.
FIFFS’ 15th edition will dedicate its shows to “explore women causes through several movies based on different visions. It will also host seminars, panels, and activities to deepen the connection between cinema and people.”
The program of the festival includes a woman-themed best feature film contest; best documentary about women struggles for equality and against discrimination; glance on short Moroccan films created or directed or produced by women; young audience award; glance on Moroccan feature films; and Panorama of Sub-Saharan Cinema to honor female figures and voices in Sub-Saharan Africa. The festival also hosts several activities that shed lights on Rabat as the capital of African culture, in addition to a panel discussing the book “50 Years of Cinema in Africa: Uniqueness and Diversity”, and a ceremony to screen the “Atlantic” movie by Director Mate Dayoub in honor of the Senegalese cinema.
Similar to previous editions, this year’s event hosts a seminar dubbed “Cinema Love in Morocco, from Cinephilia to Criticism” focusing on several topics that explore the possible connections between cinephilia and criticism; the significance of cinephilia in the cultural scene in Morocco, Africa, and the world; in addition to the difference between a cinephilic and a film critic, and the standards that each could adopt when loving or slamming a certain film; how cinephilia and criticism can improve the quality of movies; and the future of both practices amid the transformations in today’s cinematic scene. The program also includes interviews with cinema figures, open discussions about books, and workshops.
The jury of the best feature film contest includes Egyptian director Marian Khoury (president), French-Senegalese Martine Njiyay (member), Moroccan Fatim al-Aayachi, and Belgian Emilie Van. The best documentary award jury is presided by Congolese director Anoushka de Anderadi.
The films partaking in the feature film contest represent 19 countries from Europe, south America, Africa, Asia, Oceania. Two of the partaking movies were produced in 2022, eight in 2012, and nine were directed by women.
