HIBAPRESS – Abdel Latif Barka
The city of Agadir is hosting, today, Sunday, October 4th, a new station for the 17th edition of the "Isni n Ourgh" International Amazigh Film Festival, which is celebrating twenty years since its establishment this year. This edition features a diverse cinematic program that revisits memory, identity, migration, resilience, and the transformations experienced by individuals and society.
The screenings will begin at Cinema Sahara at 4 PM with a selection of films within the "Crossed Gazes" segment, where the audience will encounter five works: "Five on Five" by Alaa El-Din Khairat, "Heirs of the March" by Vincent Douzaine, "Taznakht Carpet" by Kawthar Zikkan, "Between Borders: A Diaspora Journey" by Nisrine Tyouti, and "The Lost Gazelle" by Ryan Engnan. The themes of these works vary between cultural dialogue, the memory of the Green March, the status of Amazigh women, the experience of migration, and reflections on time and perception.
The program continues at 7 PM with three films carrying strong social and heritage themes, including "Taounza" by Rachid El Moadden, which addresses education, poverty, and childhood facing harsh conditions. "The Last Boisteros" by Bill Cassarés evokes a tradition threatened with extinction in Patagonia. Additionally, the documentary "The World of Moroccan Hammams and Contemporary Changes" by Petri Lukkarinen revisits the memory of traditional hammams in the city of Fez, recalling the transformations affecting this heritage.
The 9 PM evening session is dedicated to three works that highlight women, Amazigh culture, and local memory. These include "Where We Remain" by Olivia Bansil and Caitlyn Van, "Women Behind the Rocks" by Youssef Azouka, which follows women from the "Akoo Nalos" cooperative in the aftermath of the Al Haouz earthquake, and "Kingdom of Authenticity" by Clint Davis, who returns to Taghazout after years in a journey to recapture images of yesterday's Morocco.
These works are distributed among the international competition, the Amazigh competition, and the National Amazigh Culture Award, as well as out-of-competition screenings. This reflects the diversity of the current edition and its openness to cinematic experiences from Morocco, France, Argentina, Finland, and the United States.
The screenings will take place today, Sunday, at Cinema Sahara in Agadir, starting at 4:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 9:00 PM, with free admission subject to availability of seats. The 17th edition of the festival continues from October 1st to 5th in the city of Agadir.
