It was at the Roxy cinema in Tangier that the opening gala of the seventeenth edition of the National Film Festival (FNF) was held on 26 February. Faithful to its tradition, this event, which continues until 5 March, did not do things by halves. Tributes, exchange workshops and competitions are on the agenda for this festival, which has been adopted by professionals in the sector as well as by cinephiles and the population of Tangier.

"At the seventeenth edition, Moroccan cinema is at a crossroads. I think it is now or never for professionals to debate, with objectivity and serenity, the situation of Moroccan cinema and in all its components: production-distribution-exploitation, but also training and industry", affirms Sarim Fassi-Fihri, director of the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM). Where is Moroccan cinema at? Where is it going? What are its strengths and what are its weaknesses? What is the place we want to give it in the world? Throughout the festival period, it is these questions and many others that professionals will have to answer. The opening ceremony was an opportunity to address the situation of cinemas by the Minister of Communication, Mustapha El Khalfi.

The latter insisted on the importance of keeping cinemas open. This seventeenth edition thus promises a programme rich in debates, but also in screenings. Fifteen films are participating in the official feature film competition. The jury chaired by writer and critic Noureddine Afaya will have to award 12 Prizes including the First Work Prize, the Grand Prix, the Directing Prize, the Screenplay Prize... Cinephiles will also be served by the screening of 14 short films as part of the competition and 4 films out of competition. Among the highlights of this edition also, the posthumous tribute paid, during the opening ceremony, to the critic and writer the late Mustapha Messnaoui. A member of the jury of the last edition of the FNF, the late Mustapha Messnaoui, who passed away on 17 November 2015 at the Cairo International Film Festival, is considered one of the pillars of film criticism in Morocco and in the Arab world.

Director and producer Latif Lahlou, considered one of the pioneers of Moroccan cinema, was also honoured. His first fiction film, "Spring Sun" dates from 1969. As a producer, he has produced and co-produced several national short and feature films, such as "The Oil War Will Not Happen" by Souhail Ben Barka in 1975, "Fortune Horses" by Jilali Ferhati in 1996, "Broken Wings" by Abdelmajid Rchich in 2004.