Marrakech Short Film Festival concludes sixth edition

The sixth edition of the Marrakech Short Film Festival has concluded, showcasing a diverse selection of approximately 400 films from 90 countries. The event served as a significant cultural platform for both emerging and established filmmakers, featuring workshops, panel discussions, and professional networking opportunities.

A major highlight of this edition was the debut of ‘Amanar’, a new professional industry platform. During its first two-day session, Amanar brought together 12 international professionals to work with five Moroccan projects through a ‘project development laboratory’. Key winners from this platform included Zahra Barada for the ‘Zinbi’ Industry Award, Maria Doubli Bennani for the post-production award from Atlantis Studios Marrakech, and Saad Benaidir for the Amanar Best Presentation award.

In the international competition, Giacomo Bendotti won the ‘Belarg’ award for Best Director for the film ‘The Bridge’, while the film ‘Brother, Brother’ by Abdelrahman and Saad Denwar received the ‘Nakheel’ award for Best Film. National awards included Sanaa El Alaoui winning Best Director for ‘Aisha’, and Yassine Ikefner taking the ‘Nakheel’ award for Best Film for ‘Two Paths’. Festival founder Ramié Beladadel emphasized that the Amanar initiative aims to support Moroccan filmmakers by bridging the gap between local talent and the global film industry.