عبدالرحيم الشافعي

The inaugural Photo Tangier festival is presented as a major cultural event honoring the city’s artistic heritage and global openness, shaped by the vision of Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun. The festival highlights Tangier’s historical ties to photography, its literary and artistic legacy, and its role as a crossroads of cultures. Artistic director Ibrahim Alaoui traces the roots of the initiative to a shared desire to create a unifying cultural event that reflects the city’s history and dynamism. The program emphasizes contemporary Moroccan photographers, educational access for youth, and international collaboration, with Spain featured as the guest of honor. The event aims to reaffirm Tangier’s identity as a city of creativity, memory, and openness to the world.

Villa Harris in Tangier hosts the main exhibition of the inaugural Fototanger festival, supported prominently by Idriss El Yazami and the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad. The event highlights the global contributions of Moroccan photographers, exploring themes of identity, memory and migration through experimental and conceptual visual approaches. Villa Harris, restored into a modern museum, symbolizes the meeting of heritage and contemporary creativity. Curated by Basma Mansour and Mariam Sebti with institutional backing, the exhibition presents works by thirteen diaspora photographers and forms the cultural centerpiece of a broader program aimed at elevating Tangier as an international photography hub.

The international Photo Tangier Festival launched its inaugural edition in 2026, positioning Tangier as a renewed global hub for photography. Led by writer Tahar Ben Jelloun, artistic director Brahim Alaoui, and producer Jamal Swaisi, the event showcased diverse works by Moroccan and international photographers across more than fifteen cultural venues. Exhibitions explored themes of identity, history, and cultural exchange, with Spain featured as guest of honor. The festival also included intellectual panels on photography in the age of AI, decolonizing visual representation, and social issues, along with a strong educational program for youth. Its extended schedule and broad reach boosted local cultural life, tourism, and creative opportunities, marking a significant cultural milestone for Morocco and the wider region.

The Rif International Amazigh Film Festival highlights both the vibrancy of Amazigh cultural expression and the institutional neglect that threatens its sustainability. Despite the constitutional recognition of Amazigh identity in Morocco, the festival faces a shortage of official financial support, exposing a gap between symbolic acknowledgment and practical commitment. Its expansion to include filmmakers from across the Mediterranean enriches cultural dialogue but also underscores the need for structured policies that treat cultural diversity as a national asset. The article argues that sustaining the festival requires substantial material backing and a coherent cultural strategy that positions Amazigh cinema as an integral component of Morocco’s cultural landscape.

The eighth edition of the Rif International Amazigh Film Festival in Tetouan examined identity issues in Amazigh cinema through a series of intellectual and artistic discussions. Speakers highlighted the historical marginalization of Amazigh identity, the need for stronger institutional support for the festival, and the role of cinema in reflecting and shaping collective consciousness. The event emphasized the diversity of Amazigh film experiences across North Africa and called for a sustainable cultural environment to support the growth and international competitiveness of Amazigh cinema.

Hicham Lasri’s novel Haish Maish employs Moroccan Darija to center marginalized voices and challenge classical literary norms. Through a monologue-driven narrative voiced by the character Lotfi, the book captures the everyday realities of Casablanca’s popular neighborhoods with cinematic rhythm and unfiltered honesty. The work asserts the literary legitimacy of Darija amid ongoing debates about its cultural status and stands out as a significant contribution to contemporary Moroccan literature.

Tangier launches the first edition of its international photography festival, transforming the city into an extended cultural space with exhibitions, educational programs and intellectual discussions centered on the theme Call of the Sea. The festival highlights Tangier’s historical ties to photography, features major Moroccan and international artists, and includes Spain as guest of honor. Supported by a wide network of national and international institutions, the event aims to reinforce the city’s cultural identity while promoting creativity and global cultural exchange.

A Moroccan film by Mohamed Nadif, adapted from Fatima Mershid’s novel, explores hidden identities and inherited family secrets through a layered narrative spanning multiple timelines. Presented at the Khouribga African Film Festival, the film blends literary depth with introspective visual storytelling, highlighting emotional restraint, intergenerational trauma, and the contrast between Moroccan warmth and Montreal’s cold urbanity. Despite moments of slow pacing, strong performances and sensitive direction establish it as a significant step in contemporary Moroccan cinema.

Examines the psychological and sociological dynamics governing Moroccan and Arab film industries, focusing on how creative narcissism and utilitarian interests shape behavior in festivals and artistic circles. Describes how inflated egos collide with opportunistic networking, resulting in environments where flattery, manipulation, and defensive hostility toward criticism thrive. Highlights pressures on independent critics who must navigate personal attacks, institutional retaliation, and attempts to co-opt their authority. Emphasizes the need for professional ethical clarity, separation between criticism and promotional content, and psychological resilience to preserve integrity and maintain objective, respected cultural critique.

The Khouribga African Film Festival opens its 26th edition by honoring Moroccan artist Younes Mikri for a multidisciplinary career blending music, acting, and composition. His artistic approach is highlighted through several notable films that showcase his unique integration of sound and performance. The festival emphasizes African cinematic diversity, features the Democratic Republic of the Congo as guest of honor, and includes competitions, workshops, and cultural programs. The opening ceremony reflects Morocco’s continued commitment to celebrating African creativity and strengthening continental cultural ties.

The article criticizes significant organizational shortcomings at the 26th Khouribga African Cinema Festival, highlighting the absence of Arabic subtitles, poor film presentation, and protocol violations that undermined the event’s prestige. It calls for mandatory Arabic translation, professional presenters, respect for seating protocols, and a revival of serious critical engagement with African cinema. The piece stresses that genuine criticism is essential to preserving the festival’s legacy and ensuring its future quality.

The interview highlights Yasmine Jafar’s view that this year’s Cannes Film Festival carries a distinctly political tone, with committed films addressing issues such as migration, identity and social struggles. She praises several works, including Garance for its powerful depiction of addiction and The Sweetest for exposing the exploitation of Moroccan seasonal workers. Jafar reflects on meaningful encounters with filmmakers, the challenges of field journalism at Cannes and the strong presence of Arab cinema. She also touches on her ongoing media work and upcoming book on Franco-Moroccan dual identity.

The text criticizes Moroccan film criticism for relying heavily on imported Western theories while lacking foundational works such as comprehensive histories, documentation of film clubs, biographies of early filmmakers and detailed filmographies. It argues that academic writers favor theoretical topics for career advancement instead of undertaking labor‑intensive archival research. Although some individual contributions exist, they remain fragmented and insufficient to build a coherent national cinematic knowledge base. The author calls for collective institutional efforts to produce encyclopedic historical resources to ground future critical and theoretical studies in the realities of Moroccan cinema.

A Moroccan film by Leila Marrakchi exposes the exploitation of Moroccan seasonal migrant women working in strawberry fields in southern Spain, highlighting economic, sexual, and racial abuse within European agricultural systems. The narrative follows two young women whose hopes for better lives collapse under harsh working and living conditions, revealing psychological shifts from hope to pain and resistance. Strong performances and symbolic imagery turn strawberries into a metaphor for hidden suffering, while the film criticizes large agricultural companies and European institutions for enabling these violations. Themes of female solidarity, modern slavery, and social injustice are explored through a realistic visual style, offering a politically charged yet artistically refined cinematic experience showcased at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Egyptian Embassy in Rabat launched a new cultural salon to strengthen cultural diplomacy and foster creative exchange between Egypt and Morocco. The event gathered officials, writers and artists, highlighting cooperative cultural achievements, including Egypt’s strong presence at the Rabat International Book Fair. Discussions focused on women writers in both countries, shared literary challenges and cultural intersections. Additional contributions explored Moroccan cultural richness and historical travel literature. Attendees praised the salon as a meaningful addition to bilateral cultural cooperation, and the event concluded with a tribute to the late Moroccan artist Abdelwahab Doukkali for his role in deepening artistic ties between the two nations.

Iranian cinema’s presence in major international festivals is portrayed as a field where artistic value intersects with political interpretation. Western recognition of Iranian films is examined through debates about whether awards reflect artistic merit or political symbolism related to censorship and social criticism in Iran. The article contrasts the approaches of Abbas Kiarostami, who employs contemplative and symbolic filmmaking, Jafar Panahi, whose confrontational political style has intensified his international profile, and Asghar Farhadi, who focuses on psychological and social tensions rather than overt political themes. Their differing relationships with censorship, funding, and Western festival reception illustrate how Iranian cinema occupies a space shaped by both creative expression and geopolitical narratives.

The 14th edition of the Dakhla International Film Festival is presented as a major cultural event bringing together filmmakers, critics and industry professionals from 21 countries to promote cinematic dialogue and artistic diversity. Zine El Abidine Sharafeddine highlights the festival’s growing international presence and its role as a space for cultural exchange. The program features nine films in the feature competition and ten in the documentary competition, alongside workshops, masterclasses and professional meetings aimed at fostering industry collaboration. The event also includes children’s animation screenings, a Moroccan film panorama and tributes to influential cinematic figures.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival becomes a focal point for escalating political and humanitarian themes, overshadowing artistic evaluation and raising concerns about the festival’s ability to preserve creative neutrality amid global polarization. Prominent films and statements highlight Gaza, exile and occupation, prompting accusations of selective political bias and shifting attention away from cinematic quality. Remarks by jury member Paul Laverty criticizing Hollywood’s treatment of pro‑Palestinian actors intensify debate over the fusion of politics and cinema. The festival faces growing external pressure, internal divisions and questions about its long‑term credibility as it increasingly functions as a platform for ideological narratives rather than purely artistic expression.

A cultural event at the American Center for the Arts brought writer Latifa Labsir together with students to discuss her award‑winning novel 'Taif Sbeeba,' which addresses autism through an artistic and humanistic lens. Labsir highlighted the challenges faced by autistic children and their families, emphasizing empathy, cultural identity, and the need for more youth literature on social issues. The session encouraged students to pursue creative writing, deepened their understanding of diversity, and strengthened ties between schools and cultural institutions, leaving a lasting positive impact on participants.

Abdellatif El Assadi highlights weak scriptwriting as the main obstacle to the development and international competitiveness of Moroccan cinema. He stresses the need for professional training to build a new generation of screenwriters capable of producing structurally strong and imaginative narratives. He explains that limited funding, reliance on public support, and the absence of private investment undermine film production, especially for feature films by Moroccan women directors. El Assadi criticizes current support mechanisms for lacking a comprehensive economic vision and calls for structural reforms covering writing, production, distribution, and exhibition. He notes that the International Women’s Film Festival in Salé continues its cultural mission despite shrinking support and faces growing pressure to maintain its prominence, emphasizing the need for collective backing to ensure its sustainability.