The Circuit

by Martin Dale
With a sparkle in his eyes, Bruno Barde, Artistic Director of the Marrakech Film Festival (November 14-22), has a powerful sense of mission.

"When the world comes to Marrakech and Morocco reaches out to the world" he proudly declares. The Fest's Deputy Director, Noureddine Sail backs up this idea, underling that the Marrakech Film Festival is the "centre of gravity" of the national film industry.

The fest has an important role in grooming audiences and training wannabe filmmakers. Master classes are held in the brand new ESAV film school which opened last year. In one session, jury member, Agusti Villaronga, showed clips from his films, such as "In a Glass Cage," and explained his modus operandi. "The key to becoming a successful filmmaker" he suggested, "is believing in your own work and ensuring that it has soul".

This year is particularly significant for Moroccan cinema, since it celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.

On Tuesday night there was a star-studded gala event in honour of the anniversary and three Moroccan films were shown on that day in the Fest's three categories: Competition, Coup de Coeur and Out of Competition.

Barde considers that the three films focus on three different core themes: universal reach, youth and modern-day women.

"Kandisha," by US-trained Jerome Cohen Olivar, is a pathbreaking film for the homegrown industry - a science fiction film targeted at an international audience.

"Tu te souviens d'Adil" by Mohamed Zineddaine (pictured), based in Bologna, Italy, focuses on the theme of young Moroccans and the desire to emigrate to Europe. The audience cheered at the moment in the film when the young Adil succeeded in forging his entry visa stamp using a cut potato.  The film paints a contrast between Morocco in the summer - bubbling with life and difficulties - and Bologna in the winter, where the protagonists are imbued with melancholic longing for their home country. This reflects Zineddaine's own view of the two countries - "Morocco is my body, teeming with life, family, food. Bologna is my spirit where I live like a mouse and have time to read and think."

"Amours Voilées," by Aziz Salmy, is very different. With hints of a Moroccan-style "Sex in the City," the film follows the lives of 5 young women living in Casablanca, struggling to forge meaningful relationships in a world divided between the powerful and contradictory forces of tradition and modernity. "There's a certain schizophrenia in modern Morocco", explains Salmy. "Neither men nor women are really sure what they want any more."

What Moroccans clearly do want is to see more cinema. Notwithstanding the collapse in admissions at national cinemas over the last 5 years, all sessions at the Palais de Congres have played to packed houses and crowds swirl around the main entrance in the evening to watch fest participants arrive.

One of the most atmospheric sections of the festival is the open-air screenings in the city's iconic Place Jamaa el Fna in the company of snake charmers, fire-eaters and market stalls. One of the highlights of this year's edition was the "Alien" marathon on Monday evening, which drew major crowds.