Fez — Moroccan filmmaker Zhor Fassi-Fihri’s “L’Homme des Signes” closed the fifth Luberon Film Festival in Pertuis, France, bringing the story inspired by artist Mehdi Qotbi to audiences alongside lead actor Vincent Elbaz.
The film screened out of competition on October 4 at Cinéma Le Luberon, with Elbaz attending the closing presentation. The festival ran from September 30 to October 4.
Elbaz also received the festival’s “Lavande d’Honneur,” an honorary award recognizing his career and highlighting his role in “L’Homme des Signes.”
The festival’s official programme listed the film as its 6 p.m. closing screening, followed by the awards ceremony later that evening.
A story inspired by Mehdi Qotbi
Directed by Fassi-Fihri and co-written with Jérôme Cohen-Olivar, “L’Homme des Signes” is a fictionalized biographical work inspired by the life of Moroccan painter Mehdi Qotbi, president of the National Foundation of Museums.
Elbaz plays Qotbi as an adult, while the international cast also includes Spanish actress Victoria Abril, François Berléand, Ayoub Abounnasr, Hiba Bennani, and other Moroccan and international performers.
The film traces a journey from Morocco to France, drawing on major periods in Qotbi’s life while combining real events with fictional elements.
Fassi-Fihri has previously explained that the project was conceived not as a conventional biography, but as a story about perseverance, identity, and the ability to move beyond difficult beginnings.
The narrative follows its central character from an underprivileged childhood in Rabat through encounters that shape his relationship with painting and eventually lead him toward an international artistic career.
The film also moves linguistically between Arabic and French, reflecting the character’s passage between Morocco and France.
Vincent Elbaz honored in Pertuis
Elbaz’s appearance added another dimension to the closing night.
The French actor received the “Lavande d’Honneur” for his wider career, with the festival specifically noting his performance in “L’Homme des Signes” among the roles associated with the recognition.
The festival’s official results confirmed Elbaz as the recipient of the honorary distinction.
Known for a career spanning film and television, Elbaz takes on the role of Qotbi during the adult stages of the character’s life.
For “L’Homme des Signes,” his casting places a familiar French screen presence at the center of a story deeply connected to Morocco, its art scene, and Qotbi’s trajectory between the two countries.
The Luberon screening gave the Moroccan production a closing-night platform in France while placing Fassi-Fihri’s film within a programme bringing together features, shorts, and emerging filmmakers.
