The Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the 25 projects that will be presented at the sixth edition of its industry-focused Atlas Workshops, aimed at nurturing emerging Moroccan, Arab and African talent.
Running from November 27 to 30, the event will present 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries, selected from among the 320 applications received from the Arab world and African continent.
The selection features new projects by a number of filmmakers who have already made their mark internationally such as Erige Sehiri’s Marie & Jolie and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife.
Tunisian director Sehiri made waves with Under The Fig Trees which debuted Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, while Ahmed The Gravedigger’s Wife won wide acclaim after world premiering in Cannes Critics’ Week.
The teams of the 25 selected projects and works-in-progress will receive tailored support from consultants with expertise in the areas of screenwriting, production, distribution, editing, and music, before participating in a Co-Production Market attended by some 250 accredited international professionals.
Juries will award cash prizes totaling €126,000, including the ArteKino Prize.
The full list of projects
Projects in Development
- Amnesia
Dir. Dima Hamdan (Palestine) – 1st film - Hold Time For Me (Segura Para Mim O Tempo)
Dir. Fradique (Angola) – 2nd film - Il Padre Selvaggio
Dir. Sammy Baloji (Democratic Republic of the Congo) – 1st film - La Nuit Nous Protège
Dir. Moumouni Sanou (Burkina Faso) | Doc – 2nd film - Plague (Fléau)
Dir. Youssef chebbi (Tunisia) – 2nd film - Rabies (La Rage)
Dir. Sandra Tabet (Lebanon) – 1st film - Running With Beasts
Dir. Leila Basma (Lebanon) – 1st film - The Camel Driving School
Dir. Halima Ouardiri (Morocco) – 1st film - The Passion Of Aline (La Passion d’Aline)
Dir. Rokhaya Marieme Balde (Senegal) – 1st film - Thundering Smoke (Mosi-Oa-Tunya)
Dir. Khadar Ayderus Ahmed (Somalia) – 2nd film - We Don’t Forget
Dir. Adnane Baraka (Morocco) – 2nd film - Wolfmother (Les Fils de La Louve)
Dir. Ismaël El Iraki (Morocco) – 2nd film
Atlas Close-ups (Moroccan projects in development)
- Atlantic Mirage (La Fin de l’Été)
Dir. Hakim Mao– 1st film - Out Of School
Dir. Hind Bensari| Doc – 2nd film - Road Trip
Dir. Linda Qibaa Doc – 1st film - Shehrazade’s Birds (Les Oiseaux de Shehrazade)
Dir. Sofia El Khyari– 1st film
Films in Production or Post-production
- Agora
Dir. Ala Eddine Slim (Tunisia) – 3rd film - La Mer Au Loin
Dir. Saïd hamich Benlarbi (Morocco) – 2nd film - Marie & Jolie
Dir. Erige sehiri (Tunisia) | Pre-Production – 3rd film - Motherhood
Dir. Meryam Joobeur (Tunisia) – 1st film - Perfumed With Mint
Dir. Muhammed Hamdy (Egypt) – 1st film - The Magma
Dir. Mia Bendrimia (Algeria) | Doc – 1st film - The Village Next To Paradise
Dir. Mo Harawe (Somalia) – 1st film
Atlas Film Showcase (films in final stages of editing seeking festival premieres)
- Bemba
Dir. Mamadou Dia (Senegal) - Happy Lovers
Dir. Hicham Lasri (Morocco)
