Fez — The Ajaccio event, also known as the Sirocco festival, runs from November 14 to 28 across several Corsican cities.
Its 2025 program featured premieres, debates, and partner sessions with Radio Nebbia, including a special screening of “Fez Summer 55” in Corte and Ajaccio with Laraki and producer Caroline Locardi in attendance.
A coming-of-age set on the eve of independence
Set in the summer of 1955, the film follows Kamal, an 11-year-old from the medina of Fez, whose encounters with the student Aïcha and her peers at Al Quaraouiyine draw him into the struggle for freedom. The story blends a child’s awakening with the collective movement that preceded Morocco’s 1956 independence.
Festival notes and local listings in Ajaccio highlighted the title as a centerpiece of this year’s Sirocco selection, drawing attention to its historical canvas and contemporary resonance for audiences on both shores of the Mediterranean.
Recognition in a commemorative year
Coverage of the prize in Moroccan media described the distinction as arriving at a meaningful moment, with the country marking the 70th anniversary of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the Green March in 2025. The win adds momentum to the film’s broader outreach to general audiences at home and abroad.
Ahead of the Ajaccio dates, the film was also showcased to Moroccan viewers, including a broadcast timed to national Independence Day programming, reinforcing its role as both cinema and civic remembrance.
Sirocco’s Radio Nebbia partnership
The Radio Nebbia Prize is presented within Sirocco’s collaborations with Corsican cultural venues and media partners. This year’s schedule featured joint sessions labeled “en partenariat avec Radio Nebbia,” (“In Partnership with Radio Nebbia”) situating Laraki’s feature among the festival’s flagship events in Corte and Ajaccio.
Beyond the accolade, “Fez Summer 55” benefitted from multiple public encounters, including Q&As and presentations that framed the film as a bridge between memory and present-day conversations about identity, resistance, and civic life. The Sirocco program itself foregrounded themes of transmission and resilience, which echoed the film’s narrative arc.
A Moroccan story reaching new audiences
For Laraki, the recognition in Ajaccio extends the film’s life in the festival circuit while inviting younger generations to rediscover a defining chapter in national history through the eyes of a child protagonist. With screenings tied to partner cinemas and regional institutions, “Fez Summer 55” continues to circulate across France and the Mediterranean, introducing international viewers to key places and figures in Morocco’s path to independence.
As the Radio Nebbia laureate, the feature joins a growing list of Moroccan works gaining visibility in European showcases. The Ajaccio nod signals sustained interest in stories anchored in Moroccan cities and archives that still speak to present concerns about dignity, pluralism, and the social fabric. In that sense, the prize honors both an accomplished film and a living memory shared across audiences.
