HIBAPRESS – Art
The feature film "The Distant Sea" by director Saïd Hamich Benlarbi won the grand prize at the 25th National Film Festival in Tangier, which concluded its activities last Saturday at a splendid ceremony at the Palace of Arts and Culture.
This work (117 minutes) tells the story of Nour, a 27-year-old, who immigrated irregularly to Marseille where he lives off a small business and a marginal and celebratory life with his friends. During this experience filled with the hardships of being a stranger, Nour meets Serge, the strange and mysterious police officer, and his wife Noémie, a meeting that will turn his life upside down.
Throughout the experience that this film narrates (over a decade, from 1990 to 2000), Nour remains wavering between the pain of separation from his roots and the strength of clinging to the dream, between adhering to the values of his hometown and rejecting everything that contradicts them of freedom in the country of the diaspora.
This cinematic work, through a script by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi, goes to the level of raising many thorny issues, most notably adapting to the new reality, and the problem of the integration of immigrants in the host country, and the associated social, cultural and economic challenges.
Director Maâdane El Ghazouani shared with his film "Moufita" and director Nabil Ayouch with his film "In Love with Touda" the jury prize for the feature film competition, which was chaired by director and screenwriter Hakim Belabbes.
As for the directing award, it went to Saïd Hamich Benlarbi for his film "The Distant Sea", and the cinematic work "Al Marja Al Zarqa" by director Daoud Aoulad-Syed won the production award, while the screenplay award went to each of Abdelmajid Seddati, Al-Hussein Chani and Daoud Aoulad-Syed.
The actress Nesrine Erradi won the Best Actress award in the film "In Love with Touda" directed by Nabil Ayouch, while the actor Abdelnabi Benioui won the Best Actor award for the film "Moufita" directed by Maâdane El Ghazouani.
The actress Reem Foukalia won the award for the second female role for the film "The Distant Sea" by director Saïd Hamich Benlarbi, while the actor Omar Boulaqairba won the award for the second male role for the same film.
The sound award went to the film "In Love with Touda", directed by Nabil Ayouch, and the image award for the same film.
The award for film music also went to the film "Al Marja Al Zarqa" directed by Daoud Aoulad-Syed, while the award for editing went to Anas Lakhmas for the film "The Commandments" by director Sanaa Akroud.
In the short narrative and documentary film competition, the grand prize went to director Randa Maroufi for her film "Lamina", while the film "Mirror for Sale" by director Hicham Amal won the jury prize, which was chaired by director Halima El Waradiqi.
As for the screenplay award, it went to the short film "Cheikha" by directors Ayoub El Yousfi and Zahra Raji, while director Sanaa Alaoui received special recognition for her film "Aisha".
Regarding the long documentary film competition, the long documentary film "Proud, Suspended and Stubborn Somewhat", by director Mohamed Akram El Massi, won the grand prize.
In addition, the documentary "I Will Not Forget You", by director Mohamed Reda Ezkounay, received the jury prize, which was chaired by director Mohamed El Aboudi, shared with the film "A Thousand Days and a Day, Haj Edmund", by director Simone Bitton.
The jury also awarded the Creativity Award to the long documentary film "Arhil" by Mohamed Fadel Ljamani, as well as granting special recognition to the film "Prisoners of Waiting" by Lbana Younsi.
Regarding the film competition for film schools and institutes, the film "Mabrouk Sidi Khai", by director Ashraf El Aafia, won the grand prize, while the jury prize, which was chaired by director Tayeb Bouhanana, was awarded to the film "The Last Silence" by director Mahmoud El Assri. The jury also granted special recognition to the film "With the Wind", by director Inas Louhier.
On another level, the criticism award, presented by the Moroccan Association of Film Critics, was awarded to the Moroccan director Saïd Hamich Benlarbi for his feature film "The Distant Sea", while the work "Moufita" by director Maâdane El Ghazouani received special recognition.
The film "Arhil", by director Mohamed Fadel Ljamani, also received the critics' award in the long documentary category.
The critics' award was awarded to the short film "Mirror for Sale" by director Hicham Amal, while special recognition was awarded at the same category level to the film "Lamina" by director Randa Maroufi.
As for the Donkey Shot Grand Prize for Cinema Clubs, it was won by the feature film "Moufita" by director Maâdane El Ghazouani.
In addition to the competing films, cinema lovers were on a date with screenings in the "Panorama" category of Moroccan cinema, which provided the opportunity to enjoy dozens of diverse cinematic productions. This concerns "Bitter Algae", "Hada and Krimo", "The Hero", "The Game of Life", "The Tent", "Al Mahi", and "My Routine".
It is worth noting that the closing ceremony witnessed the honoring of the brilliant artist Fatima Atef, in recognition of her major contributions in the field of theatrical, television and cinematic performance.
The National Film Festival in Tangier, which was organized under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI from October 17 to 25, is considered a national cinematic event rich in artistic creativity and cultural diversity that brings together cinema lovers, talented artists and art lovers on a platform that encourages meeting, dialogue, interaction and exchange.
