The Tunisian film "El Ziara" by Nawfel Saheb-Ettaba has won the "Blue Diamond" at the Saïdia Film Festival. This 106-minute psychological drama takes place in the Medina of Tunis.
The first edition of the Saïdia Film Festival, which closed its activities on Saturday evening, awarded the "Blue Diamond" Grand Prix for feature films to the Tunisian film "El Ziara" (The Visit) by Nawfel Saheb-Ettabaa, while the "Orange" Grand Prix for short films was awarded to the Swiss film "Discipline" by Christophe Saber.
Regarding the feature film category, the Moroccan Tarik El Idrissi won the best director award for his film "Rif 58-59", while the best screenplay award was attributed to "Harraga Blues" by Algerian director Moussa Haddad. The Moroccan actor Jamal Eddine Dkhissi received, for his part, the best male role award for his performance in the film "Al Wichah al ahmar" (The Red Scarf) by Moroccan director Mohamed Lyounsi. As for the best female role award, it went to the Algerian actress Nora Cherki, who played in the same film.
Other awards were presented as part of this festival, including that for the best short film direction, won by the film "Rihla fi Soundok" (The Journey in the Box) by the Moroccan Amine Sabir, and the best short film screenplay (won by "Douar Cinema" by the Moroccan director Asmaa El Moudir). This cultural event is part of "the establishment of a cultural dynamic in the city of Saïdia and the strengthening of the culture of coexistence and openness," declared the Festival director, Ben Younes Bahkani, adding that this initiative aims to ensure the promotion of the city of Saïdia. This first edition, which took place from 25 to 29 August, was marked by the participation of six feature films and six short films representing, in addition to Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Turkey, Palestine, Algeria, and Tunisia. Organised at the initiative of the Al Amal Association for Coexistence and Development, this event aims to promote cinematographic culture in the Oriental region, particularly in Saïdia, to serve as a bridge between Moroccans here and elsewhere, and to spark debate on issues of immigration and immigrants, as well as to promote the values of tolerance and cohabitation.
