Mohamed El Mahdi Bensaid meets Sanaa El Alaoui

Mohamed El Mahdi Bensaid: The young minister who is reviving Moroccan cinema and keeping pace with the new generation of creativity. Yesterday at Mohammed V Theater in the capital Rabat, the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Green March witnessed an exceptional event, combining national symbolism and cultural depth,Mohamed El Mahdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, shone in a brief and engaging dialogue with Jamal Soussi, publisher of Diplomacy magazine, and the young Moroccan director Sanaa El Alaoui. The meeting was more than just a formality; it revealed the young minister's clear vision for supporting Moroccan youth, artists, and creator . Bensaid has shown a genuine interest in what drives the new generation of artistic and cultural energies, listening carefully to their experiences, encouraging them to present bold ideas, and providing them with institutional support that enhances their creativity. This interaction is not an exception, but rather reflects a deeply rooted approach in the minister’s government work, who pays tangible attention to culture and art, considering them as a lever for national identity and communication between generations.In this context, the award received by the Moroccan Cinema Center after Reda Benjelloun took over its presidency comes as a pivotal step that reflects a systematic and well-thought-out policy to support Moroccan cinema and develop its creative frameworks.Through its recent initiatives and celebrations, the center has revived the national film scene, affirming that culture and art are carriers of national memory and a mirror of the aspirations of young people. This achievement is not a passing event, but rather part of a long-term strategy of the ministry, led by the young minister, to support Moroccan cultural identity and enhance its continuity in the face of the challenges of the times.On the other hand, director Sanaa Alaoui was a symbol of the new generation of Moroccan filmmakers, who carry bold and influential artistic projects, and embody the energies of youth in expressing the national reality, historically and in the present.In a creative and contemporary style, her presence and contribution to the discussion highlighted the profound cultural symbolism of the Green March and its role in building a renewed cinematic awareness among rising generations. This event, which brought together the state, cultural institutions, and young creators, reflects a synergy between governmental expertise and new energies, and proves that Morocco is capable of providing an integrated model for supporting culture and art from a strategic perspective.It keeps pace with social transformations and celebrates national identity. The history of Moroccan cinema is witnessing an exceptional moment today, in which the course of national creativity is being carefully redrawn, with the voice of youth and artists.In conclusion, Minister Mohamed El Mahdi Bensaid appears not only as a government official, but also as a true source of young talent and a supporter of Moroccan art, listening, encouraging, and paving the way for all those who aspire to build a renewed and influential cultural and artistic path. This is the great message that this event leaves: that the cultural future of Morocco is in the hands of today’s youth, and that the state and art can move together towards new horizons of creativity, identity and national belonging.

Special mention to Aicha by Sanaa El Alaoui FNF

Tanger, from 17 to 25 october 2025 Sous le Haut Patronage de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI, que Dieu L’assiste, la 25ème édition du Festival National du Film s’est tenue du 17 au 25 octobre 2025 à Tanger, au sein du prestigieux Palais de la Culture et des Arts. L’annonce du palmarès par les jurys du FNF, composés de professionnels hautement expérimentés, est venue clôturer cette édition anniversaire. Après avoir visionné l’ensemble des films dans la salle officielle du festival, en présence de leurs équipes techniques et artistiques, du public, les quatre jurys ont annoncé les prix de cette édition lors d’une joyeuse cérémonie de clôture. Les distinctions sont réparties entre les quatre compétitions, comme suit : A -Compétition Long-Métrage de Fiction : 1) Grand Prix : LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 2) Prix de la production : LE LAC BLEU de Daoud Aoulad Syad 3) Prix spécial du jury : ex aequo : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane et EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 4) Prix de la première œuvre : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane 5) Prix de la réalisation : Said Hamich Benlarbi, pour son film LA MER AU LOIN 6) Prix du scénario : Abdelmjid Seddati, El Houcine Chani et Daoud Aoulad Syad pour le film LE LAC BLEU 7) Prix du 1er rôle féminin : Nisrine Erradi pour son rôle dans EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 8) Prix du 1er rôle masculin : Abdenbi Beniwi pour son rôle dans MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane 9) Prix du 2ème rôle féminin : Rym Foglia pour son rôle dans LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 10) Prix du 2ème rôle masculin : Omar Boularkirba pour son rôle dans LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 11) Prix de l’image : Virginie Surdej pour le film EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 12) Prix du son : Nassim El Mounabbih et Said Radi pour le film EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 13) Prix du montage : Ilyas Lakhmas pour le film LES COMMANDEMENTS de Sana Akroud 14) Prix de la musique originale: Mourad Zdaidat pour le film LE LAC BLEU de Daoud Aoulad Syad Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film LES COMMANDEMENTS de Sana Akroud B -Compétition Long-Métrage Documentaire : 1) Grand Prix : FIERS, SUSPENDUS ET OBSTINES de Mohamed Akram Nemmassi 2) Prix spécial du jury : ex aequo : I WILL REMEMBER YOU de Mohamed Rida Gueznai, et LES MILLE ET UN JOUR DU HAJJ EDMON de Simon Bitton 3) Prix de la Création : THE DEPARTURE de Sidi Mohamed Fadel El Joummani Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film PRISONNIERS DE L’ATTENTE de Loubna El Younssi C -Compétition Court-Métrage de Fiction et Documentaire : 1) Grand Prix : L’MINA de Randa Maaroufi 2) Prix spécial du jury : MIROIR A VENDRE de Hicham Amal 3) Prix du scénario : Ayoub Layoussifi et Yamina Zarou pour le film CHIKHA Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film AICHA de Sanaa El Alaoui D- Compétition Films d’Ecoles et Instituts de Cinéma au Maroc 1) Grand Prix : LES TANGEROIS de Achraf El Afia 2) Prix spécial du jury : LE DERNIER SILENCE de Mahmoud El Asri Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film AU GRE DU VENT de Ines Lehaire En ce qui concerne le palmarès parallèle, Prix de la Critique, décerné par l’Association Marocaine des Critiques de Cinéma, et Prix des Ciné-Clubs, attribué par la Fédération Nationale des Ciné-Clubs du Maroc, il est dévoilé comme suit : Prix de la Critique Compétition Longs Métrages de Fiction : LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi Compétition Longs Métrages Documentaires : THE DEPARTURE de Sidi Mohamed Fadel El Joummani Compétition Courts Métrages de Fiction et Documentaires : MIROIR A VENDRE de Hicham Amal Mention spéciale pour le film L’MINA DE Randa Maaroufi Prix des Ciné-Clubs Compétition Longs Métrages de Fiction : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane Mention spéciale BRIDES de Janane Fatine Mohammadi et Abdelilah Zirate Compétition Courts Métrages de Fiction et Documentaires : FAUSSE NOTE de Rachi Zaki Mention spéciale au film : AICHA de Sanaa EL Alaoui

Aicha by Sanaa El Alaoui awarded by cinemagoers

Tangier, October 17-25, 2025 Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, the 25th edition of the National Film Festival was held from October 17-25, 2025, in Tangier, at the prestigious Palace of Culture and Arts. The announcement of the winners by the FNF juries, composed of highly experienced professionals, brought this anniversary edition to a close. After screening all the films in the official festival hall, in the presence of their technical and artistic teams and the public, the four juries announced this year's awards during a joyous closing ceremony. The awards are distributed among the four competitions, as follows: A -Compétition Long-Métrage de Fiction : 1) Grand Prix : LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 2) Prix de la production : LE LAC BLEU de Daoud Aoulad Syad 3) Prix spécial du jury : ex aequo : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane et EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 4) Prix de la première œuvre : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane 5) Prix de la réalisation : Said Hamich Benlarbi, pour son film LA MER AU LOIN 6) Prix du scénario : Abdelmjid Seddati, El Houcine Chani et Daoud Aoulad Syad pour le film LE LAC BLEU 7) Prix du 1er rôle féminin : Nisrine Erradi pour son rôle dans EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 8) Prix du 1er rôle masculin : Abdenbi Beniwi pour son rôle dans MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane 9) Prix du 2ème rôle féminin : Rym Foglia pour son rôle dans LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 10) Prix du 2ème rôle masculin : Omar Boularkirba pour son rôle dans LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi 11) Prix de l’image : Virginie Surdej pour le film EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 12) Prix du son : Nassim El Mounabbih et Said Radi pour le film EVERYBODY LOVES TOUDA de Nabil Ayouch 13) Prix du montage : Ilyas Lakhmas pour le film LES COMMANDEMENTS de Sana Akroud 14) Prix de la musique originale: Mourad Zdaidat pour le film LE LAC BLEU de Daoud Aoulad Syad Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film LES COMMANDEMENTS de Sana Akroud B -Compétition Long-Métrage Documentaire : 1) Grand Prix : FIERS, SUSPENDUS ET OBSTINES de Mohamed Akram Nemmassi 2) Prix spécial du jury : ex aequo : I WILL REMEMBER YOU de Mohamed Rida Gueznai, et LES MILLE ET UN JOUR DU HAJJ EDMON de Simon Bitton 3) Prix de la Création : THE DEPARTURE de Sidi Mohamed Fadel El Joummani Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film PRISONNIERS DE L’ATTENTE de Loubna El Younssi C -Compétition Court-Métrage de Fiction et Documentaire : 1) Grand Prix : L’MINA de Randa Maaroufi 2) Prix spécial du jury : MIROIR A VENDRE de Hicham Amal 3) Prix du scénario : Ayoub Layoussifi et Yamina Zarou pour le film CHIKHA Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film AICHA de Sanaa El Alaoui D- Compétition Films d’Ecoles et Instituts de Cinéma au Maroc 1) Grand Prix : LES TANGEROIS de Achraf El Afia 2) Prix spécial du jury : LE DERNIER SILENCE de Mahmoud El Asri Le jury a attribué une mention spéciale au film AU GRE DU VENT de Ines Lehaire En ce qui concerne le palmarès parallèle, Prix de la Critique, décerné par l’Association Marocaine des Critiques de Cinéma, et Prix des Ciné-Clubs, attribué par la Fédération Nationale des Ciné-Clubs du Maroc, il est dévoilé comme suit : Prix de la Critique Compétition Longs Métrages de Fiction : LA MER AU LOIN de Said Hamich Benlarbi Compétition Longs Métrages Documentaires : THE DEPARTURE de Sidi Mohamed Fadel El Joummani Compétition Courts Métrages de Fiction et Documentaires : MIROIR A VENDRE de Hicham Amal Mention spéciale pour le film L’MINA DE Randa Maaroufi Prix des Ciné-Clubs Compétition Longs Métrages de Fiction : MAUVAIS TEMPS de El Ghazouani Madane Mention spéciale BRIDES de Janane Fatine Mohammadi et Abdelilah Zirate Compétition Courts Métrages de Fiction et Documentaires : FAUSSE NOTE de Rachi Zaki Mention spéciale au film : AICHA de Sanaa El Alaoui

Aicha by Sanaa El Alaoui awarded in FNF Tangiers

The 25-minute short film "Aisha," produced in 2025 and directed by Polish-based Moroccan director Sanaa Alaoui, offers a bold treatment of the issue of rape from a human and spiritual perspective, avoiding direct rhetoric or melodrama. The film revolves around a female undergraduate student who is subjected to physical abuse that disrupts the family unit. The tragedy becomes the starting point for a symbolic healing process led by the mother through Gnawa and Jazba rituals, in an attempt to restore her inner balance and rescue her daughter from the cycle of silence and shame. We open the film to multiple reading levels. On the one hand, it raises the question of the body as a social and political space, and on the other, it invokes the Sufi dimension of Gnawa rituals as a form of symbolic resistance against pain. Music and rhythm transform into an alternative language to speech, where healing is manifested not only in the body but also in the soul, which acknowledges love after denial. Through its intense visual language and use of light and color, "Aisha" highlights the intersection of violence and tenderness in a mother-daughter relationship, rethinking the concept of motherhood as an act of sacrifice and forgiveness. In this sense, the film represents a journey from darkness to light, from trauma to reconciliation, affirming that love, ultimately, is the deepest form of healing. The films of the sixth day of the 25th edition of the Tangier National Film Festival confirm that Moroccan cinema is experiencing a period of artistic and intellectual maturity, where the veteran generation meets a new generation of creators in a shared search for a cinematic language that listens to the human being in both his weakness and his strength. From “The Blue Meadow” to “Aisha,” through “My Little One,” “The House of the High,” and “The Six-Month War,” a growing awareness of the importance of social and spiritual issues is evident in the formulation of a visual discourse that goes beyond entertainment to reflect and contemplate. It is a cinema that searches for the Moroccan self in the mirrors of reality and dreams, affirming that the path to light always leads through confronting shadows.

Rodney Allen Rippy for Aicha

· Hey Gang! Just got in from the 2025 HollyShorts. My company Ripped Marketing Group was handling some representation for a controversial short film out of Poland called Aicha. It's based on a true story and it's bringing awareness to the abuses of women and child marriages. This film was also nominated for Best International Film and Best Social Film at HollyShorts. I was told there were over 700 submissions to this Film Festival. These are two great nominations and we are ever so hopeful to bring home two major wins for this short film! Stay tuned I'll keep your informed. #Aicha #sanaaelalaoui #Poland #rippedmarketinggroup #independentshortfilms

Aicha will be screened this friday 8/15/2025 at 3.15 pm in TCL

When cinema makes a difference.That is the word Rodney Allen Rippy begins his chat talk with Sanaa El Alaoui with her husband,Piotr Kaczorowski's Native Line company At Hollyshorts in California.Her shortfilm will be screened this friday 8/15/2025 at 3.15 pm in TCL ,chinese theatre in LA , California .Please be there and here is the Youtube interview link> https://www.youtube.com/live/8rsjge6O8EM?si=PlfCLoKCyljyWGth TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) Location: Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California Opened: May 18, 1927 Famous For: Celebrity handprints, footprints, and signatures in the forecourt of the stars Hosting movie premieres, red carpet events, and major film screenings One of the most iconic landmarks in Hollywood

Aicha by ELIJAH CHAMBERLAIN

Aicha (short film) ELIJAH CHAMBERLAIN JUN 13, 2025 Review: Aicha Coming in at a perfect 24 mins Aicha is a delicate, sorrowful short film that captures the aching distance between a mother and daughter and what happens when time runs out to close that gap. We find a 17-year-old girl, caught in the emotional void left by a mother who seems unable or unwilling to connect. But when tragedy strikes, the film shifts inward, exploring not just loss, but the quiet desperation to feel something in its wake. What makes Aicha so affecting is its restraint. The story unfolds with a calm, almost meditative pace, allowing us to feel the emotional weight of every unspoken word, every withheld gesture. After her daughter’s death, the mother turns to a mystic ceremony not out of faith, necessarily, but need. The ceremony is strange and intimate, rendered with a sense of quiet awe. It's less about the supernatural and more about the rawness of unresolved love. The cinematography is beautiful: static shots, muted color palettes, and lingering close-ups that rarely offer relief. The closing shot of the film is worth the watch alone. This one won’t be for everyone but I highly recommend you check it out!

Cosmic Balance by ANDREAS JOHNSEN in FFK Krakow

The young Indonesian musician Anggi was given away as an infant and grew up among musicians practicing the traditional music phenomenon Reak. Reak is practiced in West Java and is a spiritual cultural form where both musicians and audiences go into trance and are possessed by the spirits of their ancestors. Now a young man, Anggi is set to become the new leader of his Reak group. But suddenly his competitors begin to question his ability to lead, as he is not related by blood to the group’s previous leaders. And as if that was not enough to deal with, there’s also trouble with his future in-laws who won’t let him marry their daughter because he has neither a proper education nor a respectable job. In the midst of all this, the insecure and sensitive Anggi turns to Reak culture, hour-long trance sessions and helpful shamans. And suddenly he finds himself in Denmark where he will perform outside his village for the first time at Roskilde Festiva

Laureates of FFK film festival 2025

Fryderyk Lutyński, Aleksandra Chmielewska, Aleksander Pankowski vel Jankowski, Dominika Czajkowska-Ptak, and Jan Sanejko. The Young Talent Award was won by Mikołaj Gąsiewski, a Polish composer. In addition, the START program of the Foundation for Polish Science recognized Jakub Zakrzewski (Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Chemistry), Sebastian Borówka (University of Warsaw, Center for New Technologies), and Stanisław Kurdziałek (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw). Finally, the Fulbright Graduate Student Award 2025-26 was awarded to Daniel Jensen (University College London), Agata Meszka (AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków), and Igor Sadalski (Imperial College London).

Klezmer Hoise visit

Klezmer Hoise is a famous restaurant where filmmakers like Steven Sperberg,Alan Parker and actress Juliette Binoche have visited . Today, we have to honor to visit it along with Festival Director Krzysztof Gierat and other international filmmakers participating in his Krakow film festival 2025 . Moroccan short film "Aicha" directed by Sanaa El Alaoui ( سناء العلاوي in Arabic ) and produced by Piotr Kaczorowski's Native Line company will have it's world premiere at the Krakow Film Festival in Poland on 27th of May 2025 . This is the first time a Moroccan film has been featured at this prestigious film event, which is considered one of the festivals qualifying for Oscars. Aicha is also selected to South by Southwest London film festival on 4th and 7th of june 2025. Fryderyk Lutyński, Aleksandra Chmielewska, Aleksander Pankowski vel Jankowski, Dominika Czajkowska-Ptak, and Jan Sanejko. The Young Talent Award was won by Mikołaj Gąsiewski, a Polish composer. In addition, the START program of the Foundation for Polish Science recognized Jakub Zakrzewski (Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Chemistry), Sebastian Borówka (University of Warsaw, Center for New Technologies), and Stanisław Kurdziałek (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw). Finally, the Fulbright Graduate Student Award 2025-26 was awarded to Daniel Jensen (University College London), Agata Meszka (AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków), and Igor Sadalski (Imperial College London).