The Cap Spartel Film Festival for short films, now in its 6th year, will run in the Moroccan city from March 27th to 30th. Organized by the Observatoire Marocain de l’Image et des Médias, the festival chooses a particular theme each year and then examines it through films and lectures. This year the chosen theme is “cinema and non-violence”.
Every year the festival also highlights a country and its cinema – this year paying tribute to Indian cinema, and more particularly to its pioneer directors Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. There will also be a round table in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
The festival also has a competition – with 20 short films selected – its jury chaired this year by Moroccan director, screenwriter and producer Farida Benlyazid. There are several awards, including the Jury Prize and the Critics and Press Awards.
The organizers have already unveiled part of the official selection. One of these is Snow for Water by Christopher Villiers, an Anglo-Bosnian film set during the siege of Sarajevo which received special mention at the Berlinale. Also noteworthy are Jorge Muriel’s Spanish short, El niño que queria volar, and Iranian film-maker Amir Gholami’s The Sea Swells.
In parallel with the official competition, spectators will be able to see Serbian, Lebanese and French films, with many meetings and conferences planned in the presence of the invited directors. The Cape Spartel Film Festival also offers two film analysis training workshops.
Sources: communiqué.
