Fez — The 14th edition of Oujda’s Maghreb International Film Festival opened with a formal tribute to Marcel Khalife at Théâtre Mohammed VI, where the 75-year-old Lebanese composer and virtuoso linked art to dignity and hope in brief remarks from the stage. He dedicated the honor to Gaza and closed by leading the audience in a few lines of a beloved poem-song from his repertoire.
Festival organizers positioned Khalife’s homage within this year’s theme, “From the cinema screen, bridges are built and causes are told,” which frames film and the wider arts as spaces for dialogue across the Maghreb and beyond. Alongside the recognition, the festival program features two official competitions for shorts and features, out-of-competition screenings, roundtables, and training activities that bring filmmakers and audiences into direct conversation.
Khalife’s presence in Oujda extends to the industry side: the official festival channels list him among masterclass guests during the week, a slot that complements the event’s workshops on adaptation, acting for camera, and cinema in the age of artificial intelligence. The masterclasses will run in parallel with daytime screenings and nightly premieres across city venues.
The tribute lineup exemplifies the festival’s regional reach. In addition to Khalife, homages this year recognize Moroccan actors Rabii Kati and Soumaya Akaaboune, with organizers highlighting their contributions to national and international screens. The ceremony also reiterated the festival’s commitment to showcasing Maghrebi voices while welcoming guests from across the Arab world and Europe.
Founded to platform Maghrebi cinema and foster exchange, the Oujda festival has grown into a staple of Morocco’s cultural calendar, drawing filmmakers, scholars, and music figures whose work intersects with the moving image. With Khalife’s opening-night honor and a week of screenings and talks ahead, this year’s edition sets out to pair artistic celebration with conversations about culture’s role in a turbulent era.
