The 34th Fameck Arab Film Festival took place from October 5th to 15th with Morocco as the country in the spotlight.
The event, organized by the Cité Sociale de Fameck and the Ligue de l’enseignement, offered more than 40 films (feature-length dramas, documentaries and shorts), many of which are new or in preview. Film-makers from all backgrounds were invited to discuss not only their films but also broader issues connected to the Arab world.
Several awards were handed out during the festival: the Grand Prix, the Youth Jury Award, the Press Jury Award, the Audience Award, the Documentary Award and the Short Film Award. There was also an out-of-competition selection, “Opening on the world”, showing films which although not made in the region are linked to it by the issues they deal with (Israel, Afghanistan, Iran, etc.).
In honour of the guest country the festival presented 13 Moroccan films in its different sections. Among the titles were Asmae El Mudir’s documentary The Mother of All Lies (Cannes Film Festival, Golden Eye for best documentary, tied), plus two drama films, Deserts by Faouzi Bensaïdi and Poissons rouges by Abdeslam Kelaï. This second film is about a woman who, having served a long prison sentence, returns to her home town to reunite with her son. But her brother refuses to give her access.
Sources: Festival du Film de Fameck, Box Office Pro
