Fez — Under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI, the 14th edition of the film festival will run in Oujda from September 29 to October 4 under the theme “From the Cinema Screen, Bridges are Built and Causes are Told.”
Association Sini Maghreb has unveiled the general program for the 2025 Maghreb International Film Festival in Oujda, reaffirming the city’s growing role on Morocco’s cultural map.
Organizers say this year’s theme aligns with a royal guidance that places culture, thought, and media at the heart of coexistence and dialogue—far from stereotypes and exclusionary narratives.
The feature film jury will be chaired by Moroccan academic and former university president Dr. Omar Halli, and brings together prominent figures including Burkinabè actress-director Maïmouna Ndiaye; Florence Martin, who holds the Dean John Blackford Van Meter Chair in Transnational French Studies at Goucher College (US) and specializes in cinema and media; French producer Annabelle Thomas; and French actor-screenwriter Olivier Loustau.
The short film jury is led by Moroccan producer-screenwriter Mohamed Bouzko, joined by Tunisian filmmaker-author-scholar Sonia Chamkhi, Jordanian director-screenwriter Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Al-Faleh—known for work at the intersection of cinema and AI—and Kazakh actress Samal Yeslyamova, Best Actress at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Tributes this year will honor Lebanese maestro Marcel Khalife for his influential contemporary Arab repertoire; Moroccan actor Rabii Kati, a leading face of national film and television; Moroccan star Ibtissam Laaroussi for acclaimed screen roles; scholar Badr Maqri for his contributions to intercultural studies, history of ideas, and socio-cultural anthropology; and Moroccan actress Soumaya Akaaboune for a distinguished presence across international productions.
A flagship colloquium will explore the festival’s theme, moderated by Prof. Mostafa Ben Larbi Seloui with contributions from Florence Martin, Sonia Chamkhi, and Badr Maqri. A separate roundtable on cultural and creative industries in the Oriental region will be steered by cinema expert Mohamed Belghouat, former director of ISMAC. Producers and investors will include Hassan Chaoui and Khalid Azaïri alongside institutional partners from culture, tourism, and investment.
Masterclasses will feature Mohamed Mbarki, Director-General of the Oriental Agency and former minister; Maïmouna Ndiaye; and Marcel Khalife. Training activities include “Hadinat Aswat Al-Sharq,” a script-to-screen incubator led by filmmaker-screenwriter Jalal Belouadi with producer Said Andam, screenwriter-trainer Abdelkader Al-Mansour, multi-hyphenate artist Kamal Kamal, and director Abdelilah Jouahri; a “Novel-to-Screenplay” workshop with Prof. Mounir Ousekoum and filmmaker-critic Prof. Amer Cherki; an acting-for-camera lab led by actor-director Abdo Al-Mesnaoui; and an introductory “Video and AI” session by Jordan’s Ahmed Mohammed Al-Faleh.
Over four days, the festival will screen 18 films in its two official competitions (features and shorts). A special children’s matinee will present the animated sci-fi title “Robot Sauvage” on Saturday morning, October 4. Parallel activities include cultural tours of Oujda’s landmarks, a vintage-car parade culminating at Place 3 Mars, book signings with authors, and a guests’ excursion to the Saïdia seaside resort. Organizers describe the 2025 program as a platform where cinema builds bridges, showcases Maghreb voices, and fuels local creative economies.
