Rabat – Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation will organize the fifth edition of its workshop dedicated to the initiation and advanced training in film criticism on July 15-16 in Casablanca.
Applicants must be active journalists in Morocco holding a valid press card. Applications are open until June 26, via the official website of the Foundation.
The workshop will be held in French and Arabic with simultaneous translation. Participation is free of charge, and places are limited.
Over two days, participants will explore key themes including the role and ethics of film criticism, analysis of critical texts, a collective film viewing followed by discussion and written analysis, interview methodology, and dedicated writing workshops.
The training is part of the Atlas Programs, the umbrella initiative that brings together the Foundation’s professional projects focused on training, mentoring, and supporting emerging cinema talent across Morocco, the Arab world, and Africa.
Built around the Ateliers de l’Atlas, the platform contributes to strengthening regional film ecosystems and developing new generations of filmmakers and film professionals.
Since its launch in 2024, the film criticism workshop has been held four times, twice for working journalists and twice for journalism and cinema students.
Each edition has reinforced the value of creating a dedicated space for critical reflection, film analysis, and professional writing practice.
The program is designed to strengthen participants’ critical tools through hands-on exercises, including film analysis, writing exercises, and interview techniques with filmmakers.
It aims to enhance the quality of film criticism and support more structured editorial approaches within the media landscape.
This fifth edition will be led by French film critic Charles Tesson, former editor-in-chief of Cahiers du Cinéma, and General Delegate of the Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes Film Festival.
He is also a professor of film history at Sorbonne Nouvelle University and the author of several reference works on filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray, Luis Buñuel, and Akira Kurosawa.
