Fez — Moroccan filmmaker Amina Chady has earned the Bronze Pearl in the feature documentary category at the 15th “International Festival of Film for Children and Youth,” known as FIFEJ, in Sousse, Tunisia.
The award was announced at the festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday, April 11, after a week of screenings and youth-focused cinema programming. The 2026 edition of FIFEJ ran from April 6 to 11 in Sousse.
Chady’s film, “Maradona Saharaa,” placed third in a documentary competition that reflected the festival’s broader regional and international scope.
The Gold Pearl in the same category went to the Palestinian documentary “The Clown of Gaza,” directed by Abdulrahman Sabbah, while the Silver Pearl was awarded to the Congolese film “Nyota, les enfants lumière” by Vanessa Kabwela and Idriss Gabel of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The jury also gave a special prize to the Tunisian film “Notre semence” by Anis Lassoued.
The result places “Maradona Saharaa” among the recognized nonfiction titles of a festival that has positioned itself as a key platform for films centered on children, youth, and emerging cinematic voices.
Official festival material described the 15th edition as a program built around screenings, competitions, professional meetings, workshops, and training activities, with more than 55 films featured this year.
Moroccan cinema also stood out in the youth competition
Morocco’s presence in the final awards did not stop with Chady’s documentary. Moroccan short film “Investigation,” directed by Marwan Chiguer, won third prize in the competition reserved for young filmmakers under 30. That added a second Moroccan note to the festival’s final honors and reinforced the visibility of Moroccan filmmakers across categories.
The broader fiction awards also underscored the festival’s international profile. Iraqi film “Irkalla: The Dream of Gilgamesh,” directed by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji, took the top prize in the feature fiction category, while “Cache-cache,” directed by Rami Abbas and presented as a Palestine-Spain co-production, won the Golden Pearl in the short-film competition.
