Hommam Al Nassim 
The Moroccan city of Khouribga inaugurated the twenty-fourth edition of the International Festival of African Cinema under the theme “African cinema: an aesthetic that questions its time”.
This cultural event is an opportunity to celebrate African cinematic creativity and explore its artistic and social impact.
Moroccan actor Mohamed El Khalfi, 87, received special recognition at the opening ceremony for his overall production, which influenced the artistic scene with theatrical, television and film works, and was known for his roles in several films such as “Silence is a Forbidden Direction”, “The Fifth String” and “The Betrayed Blood”.
The festival runs until May 18, and will screen 13 feature films and 15 short films in official competitions, in addition to four films under the “Guest of Honor” section dedicated to Mali this year.
Morocco is participating in the competition with Saad Chraibi’s The Silence of the Violins and Naoufel Baraoui’s Cup of Love, along with entries from other countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Togo, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, Rwanda, and Burkina Faso.
The festival program includes training workshops in the fields of directing, photography, editing, actor management, film music, film analysis, in addition to a screenwriting competition.
Founded in 1977, the festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals on the continent, highlighting African cinematic heritage and reinforcing the position of cinema as a means of cultural and artistic expression.
African cinema is receiving attention through several festivals held in different places around the world, where the African Film Festival in Cordoba was established in 2004 and is held annually, and there is the Luxor African Film Festival, which was founded in 2012 and is held in Luxor, Egypt.
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