On the occasion of the fifteenth edition of the Meknes International Animation Film Festival, the first Francophone Writing Residency for animated film will be held in Meknes from Friday, 25 March to Thursday, 21 April 2016. The creation of a Francophone writing residency for animated film in Meknes is a joint initiative by NEF Animation (New writings for animated film), the French Institute of Meknes, and the Aïcha Foundation, in partnership with Folioscope (with the support of SACD Belgium and Wallonia-Brussels Images), the National Film Board of Canada, and the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in Beirut, Lebanon.

This residency also benefited from the support of the French Institute of Morocco and the French Institute – Paris. It addresses the need to create a space for exchange, training, and artistic creation on the African continent, and particularly in Morocco, intended for emerging authors and directors from Francophone countries. It sits at the crossroads of essential issues: the international mobility of young creators, the development of artistic and cultural exchanges within the framework of the Francophonie, the structuring of an image industry in African countries, and the development of writing skills in animation. The first edition of this residency will host six young animated film author-directors from Francophone countries, aiming for parity between countries of the North (France, Belgium, Canada) and the South (Morocco, Madagascar, Lebanon) for a 4-week stay supervised by Delphine Maury, a French screenwriter and producer.