Al-Alam Electronic - Mohamed Belbachir
The activities of the thirteenth edition of the Oujda International Festival of Maghreb Film began on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the Mohammed VI Theatre in Oujda, which is organised by the "Ciné Maghreb" association under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, under the slogan "Cinema between citizenship and human belonging". The festival continues until November 9, offering a range of cultural and cinematic activities.
The Wali of the Oriental region, Governor of the Oujda-Angad prefecture, Mr. Khatib El Hebil, opened the festival with a speech in which he pointed out the role of cinema in promoting economic, social and cultural development, especially in the city of Oujda. He stressed that cinema can spread the values of citizenship and human belonging and strengthen Moroccan cultural identity, pointing to the importance of this event in building bridges of communication between cultures and peoples.
In his speech, the festival director, Mr. Khalid Sali, congratulated Mr. Khatib El Hebil on the Royal trust by appointing him Wali of the Oriental region, noting that the current edition honours French cinema as a guest of honour, which strengthens relations between Morocco and France and opens horizons for cooperation in the fields of art and creativity. Sali pointed to the great development that the festival has witnessed since its inception in 2012 thanks to the efforts of officials and partners.
The opening ceremony also included the honouring of a number of prominent cinematic figures, including the Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako, the Egyptian actress Sahar El Sayegh, the Moroccan singer and producer Sahar Seddiki, the Moroccan director Mohamed Belhaj who specialises in documentaries, the Senegalese designer "Oumou Sy", and Danielle Henkel, who was born in Oujda and is ranked among the 100 most influential women in the world.
The festival is witnessing the screening of more than 25 films within the official competitions for feature and short films, in addition to special screenings for children and open-air screenings. It also offers a range of workshops, seminars and round tables, and continues to honour prominent cinematic figures and host cinema stars, with the aim of strengthening cultural communication between peoples and developing the Maghreb artistic scene, with a distinguished participation from Egypt and a celebration of France as a guest of honour.
