The 7th Edition

The School of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanites of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane welcomes you to the 7th edition of the Al Akhawayn Short Film Festival, from April 3rd to April 5th on campus, sponsored by the Al Akhawayn Alumni Association and co-organized with the Cinematic Corner, a vibrant student club.

Just like previous editions, the festival centers around a student short film competition. On the sidelines, ASFF hosts a screening of award-winning films followed by a discussion with their creators, training workshops in cinema, master classes and a round table around a theme touching on the challenges of young filmmakers trying to break into the audiovisual world.

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM

MEET THE JURY

President of the Jury

Meryem Benm’Barek

Moroccan film director and screenwriter. She was a recipient of the 2017 Gan Foundation prize and a grant from the Doha Film Institute in 2017. Her feature film, Sofia won the best screenplay award at Cannes, Un Certain Regard section in 2018. She has also written and directed five short films, winning two filmmaking awards for her 2014 film Jenna in the United States.

Member of the Jury

Abdenbi El Beniwi

Moroccan actor who worked in many Moroccan and foreign works, in cinema, on television and on stage. He is known for his work on Mount Moussa (2022) and Qasr El Bacha (2019). He is the main actor in Adil El Fadili’s latest film, My Dad is Not Dead (2023), which won Best Film in the Tangier FilmFestival.

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Member of the Jury

Anass El Gad

An emerging Moroccan director and screenwriter, expert in visual storytelling and creative direction. He collaborated with several top Moroccan and international brands, producing captivating advertisements that connect deeply with target audiences, winning multiple awards.

DAY 1: Thursday April 3rd

THE PROGRAM

What? Acting Workshop

With? Abdenbi El Beniwi

When? Thursday April 3rd at 6pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? 15 aspiring actors who signed up and received a confirmation email - Limited Seats

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What?

Opening Ceremony of the Festival hosted by Nada Cohen & Moutaz Hawladar
Words from the Official Selection Committee, Roland Carrée & Fatima Matousse
Words from the Jury, Meryem Ben'mbarek, Abdenbi El Beniwi and Anass El Gad
Screening of Whispers of the Past, an award winning short film by Yassine Bouhouch and Qazi Fazli Azeem.
Screening of Official Selection; 10 student short films from AUI, ESAV, ISMAC and AUC in documentary and fiction.
Musical Performance by Band 17
Audience Vote

When? Thursday April 3rd at 8pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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DAY 2: Friday April 4th

What? Master Class on Storytelling from Advertising to Music Videos and Film

With? Anass El Gad

When? Friday April 4th at 2pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who?

Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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What? Screening of the film Sofia followed with a discussion with the director

Sofia, 20, lives with her parents in Casablanca. Following a denial of pregnancy, she finds herself illegally giving birth to a baby out of wedlock. The hospital leaves her 24h to provide the papers of the father of the child before alerting the authorities.

By? Meryem Ben'mbarek, the director and writer

When? Friday April 4th at 8pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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DAY 3: Saturday April 5th

What? Panel Discussion on Paving the Way to Emerging Filmmakers to answer the question "How can the Moroccan film industry encourage student filmmakers' career development and creative aspirations?" in French, Darija and English moderated by Nada Cohen & Moutaz Hawladar

With? Panelists Meryem Ben’mbarek, Anass El Gad, Izza Genini, Abdenbi El Benioui, Roland Carrée, Bilal Marmid, Youssef Ksiyer, Khalid Mouna, Karim Souissi, Safae Lahgazi Alaoui and Yassine Bouhouch.

When? Saturday April 4th at 2pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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What?

Tribute to the great Izza Genini for her contribution to capturing the Moroccan cultural heritage through film since the 70s
Avant-Premiere of her latest film Meqbouline, The Hosts of Toumliline:

In 1952, twenty Benedictine monks from En-Calcat Abbey founded a monastery in Toumliline, Morocco, during a pivotal historical period. The film explores their integration, revealing an encounter between three spiritualities and resulting in mutual acceptance, making these monks "Meqbouline" people.

Discussion with Izza Genini and Lamia Radi

Hosted By? Professor Fatima Matousse

When? Saturday April 5th at 6pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to those who have signed up and received a confirmation email.

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What?

Award Ceremony hosted by Nada Cohen & Moutaz Hawladar
Words of the Vice President of Academic Affairs
Words of the President of the Jury
Musical Performance by Voice United Choir
Documentary Prize presented by Abdenbi El Beniwi & Izza Genini
Documentary Audience Prize presented by Khalid Mouna
Fiction Prize presented by Anass El Gad and Karim Souissi
Fiction Audience Prize presented by Youssef Ksiyer
Grand Prize presented by Meryem Ben'mbarek & Bilal Marmid
Screening of the Grand Prize

When? Saturday April 4th at 8pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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What? Screening of the film My Dad is Not Dead (2023) followed with a discussion with the director

Malik and his father Mehdi live in a funfair where they work as handymen. Mehdi gives his son five special paintings. Curious Malik is dazzled by the beauty of these works. The next day, the two accidentally find themselves in the middle of a political rally.

By? Adil El Fadili, the director, with Abdendi El Benioui, main actor

When? Saturday April 5th at 9pm

Where? Auditorium 17 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane

For who? Open to all AUIers and those who requested access to campus and received a confirmation email.

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THE OFFICIAL SELECTION

THE OFFICIAL SELECTION COMMITTEE

Fatima Matousse

Matousse, a Moroccan native, is an independent filmmaker and 2016 Fulbright Scholar. In 2018, Matousse graduated with an MFA in Documentary Film at the City College of New York (CUNY), where her debut film, “Family in Exile,” won Best Cinematography at the graduation ceremony. Fatima’s film has been an official selection of highly renowned international festivals all over the world such as Interfilm Berlin and Arab Film Festival in San Fransisco in addition to winning awards in the US, Portugal, Morocco and Russia.

Roland Carrée

Carrée holds a doctorate in film studies from the University of Rennes 2 and is a lecturer and researcher at the École Supérieure des Arts Visuels (ESAV) in Marrakech, where he is also responsible for the film and cultural programming. In 2024, he presented his second book, CinéCasablanca: la Ville Blanche en 100 films, written with Rabéa Ridaoui and published by Le Fennec.

Mikael F. Daoudi

Docteur en Arts, études cinématographiques, audiovisuelles et scéniques, Daoudi est un artiste visuel et sonore basé à Tétouan, spécialisé dans des œuvres mêlant disciplines artistiques et technologies. Depuis 2015, il enseigne à l’Institut National des Beaux-Arts de Tétouan (INBA), où il propose des cours d’animation expérimentale, de vidéo art et d’art numérique.

Asmaa El Alaoui

El Alaoui has directed and produced cultural programs for the two national channels and more than 25 documentaries of 52 minutes, 4 documentaries of 26 minutes, 160 capsules of 5 minutes, 1 docufiction of 90 minutes, broadcast on the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel. In addition to being a producer and director, she created in 2003 the first film and audiovisual school in Morocco: ISCA Rabat. She has been a member of the Moroccan Chamber of Documentarists since 2019.

The Prizes

Given that the microfilms were not selected, the prizes will only concern the documentary and fiction categories. The audience will get to vote for their favorite fiction and documentary. The student participants will also win a certificate which attests of the Audience Prize in both categories. The jury of the festival will give 3 prizes:

The Documentary Prize

4000 dhs cash, a certificate signed by the president of the jury

The Fiction Prize

4000 dhs cash, a certificate signed by the president of the jury

The Grand Prize

20 000 dhs contract with Al Akhawayn Alumni Association, a Trophy, and the distribution of a new short film on Jooj Media