Moroccan Cinema In The Spotlight In Scotland

For the third year running, Africa in Motion is collaborating with the Transnational Moroccan Cinema (TMC) project at the University of Exeter. Five of these prize-winning films will be screened and many leading film-makers and commentators will be present at a major symposium (at the University of Edinburgh) on the international impact of Moroccan film.

Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival runs from the 26 October – 4 November 2018

Africa in Motion is Scotland’s major annual celebration of African cinema, and is to return for the13th year to bring audiences in Edinburgh and Glasgow a wide variety of creative stories from across the African continent.

Since its inception in 2006, Africa in Motion has introduced nearly 45,000 audience members to the brilliance and diversity of African cinema, screening over 500 films. For the third year running Africa in Motion collaborates with the Transnational Moroccan Cinema (TMC) project at the University of Exeter. AiM has always ensured that North African films are fairly presented at
the festival, recognising the region’s contributions to African cinema as a whole. Contemporary

Moroccan cinema is flourishing and winning prizes locally and internationally. Five of these prize-winning films will be screened at AiM, including Volubilis (Faouzi Bensaidi, 2017), Apatride (Narjiss Nejjar, 2018), House in the Fields (Tala Hadid, 2016) and Burnout (Noureddine Lakhmari, 2017).

This year we are showcasing five outstanding Moroccan feature films and three amazing shorts; a
workshop on experimental documentary making at ECA; and an international symposium at Edinburgh University, Morocco in Motion: The Global Reach of Moroccan Cinema, dedicated to expanding the debates and discussions on the global reach of Moroccan cinema.

“We are really excited to be partnering once again with the TMC project and are thrilled to devote a section of our programme to highlighting the greatness of Moroccan cinema” - Myriam Mouflih, Programming Assistant at Africa in Motion.

Some of the most established filmmakers from Morocco are coming to Scotland, such as Farida Benlyazid, Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, Hakim Belabbes and Ali Essafi, alongside producer extraordinaire Lamia Chraibi.

Experimental and new work by younger filmmakers such as Touda Bouanani, Sofia El Khyari, Nadir Bouhmouch, Meriem Jabi, Lamyâa Achary and Chamiaa Lehnech will go into dialogue with each other, with critics talking about challenges and opportunities for Moroccan film to be seen
globally, on the African continent, in the Arab world and in the West.

La Septieme Porte (Ali Essafi, 2018), an experimental documentary about Moroccan filmmaker Ahmed Bouanani will screen at Edinburgh College of Art alongside Fragments de Memoire, a short film by Bouanani’s daughter, Touda, exploring the remains of her father’s archive.

  The symposium programme is available here:  Programme


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THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF FES POSTPONED

The first edition of the Fes International Film Festival (FIFF), initially scheduled for November 13-17, has been postponed until February 2019

"The postponement is due to the desire to give ourselves the means and the time necessary to ensure a good preparation for this event," says the association of the International Film Festival of Fez, the main initiator of this cultural event.

It is also to give a "good visibility to the festival, since the initial date coincides with the organisation of major film events at the national level".

The festival aspires to reinforce the cultural animation in Fez and to contribute to the revitalisation of Moroccan film production and the promotion of the national film industry.

The organisers intend to have a number of activities, including the screening of some thirty international films, short and feature films, as well as documentaries, in addition to awarding prizes to the best artistic works.

This festival will constitute a space for exchange and dialogue between different cultures  and a suitable opportunity for the training of students and moviegoers, through workshops supervised by professionals and filmmakers, to help them develop their artistic talents.

This film event also aims to contribute to strengthening the cultural influence of Fez alongside other major cultural and artistic events of the city, including the festival World Sacred Music, the Festival of Sufi Culture and the festival of Amazigh Culture.

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National Film Festival in Tangier

Initiated by the Moroccan Film Centre (CCM), the National Film Festival (FNF) will be held from March 9 to 17 in Tangier for its 19th edition

The FNF is an artistic, cultural and promotional event with the objective of promoting the development of national film production and to contribute to the dissemination of Moroccan film and create a space for meetings, dialogue and film exchange.

The program of this edition, which coincides with the sixtieth Anniversary of Moroccan cinema, includes a competition for short and long films produced since the last edition, debates around these films, a presentation of the cinematographic report for 2017, professional meetings and parallel activities.

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From Smart Phones to Short Films

Students at the American Language Center in Fez have moved from watching movies to also making them. Suzanna Clarke reports

On Saturday September 23, a premiere was held at the ALC, showing four short films made by students using their smart phones. Three were dramas, and one was a comedy.

“I want you to make your own movies,” said teacher Jamal Morelli. “There are four horror films being made, so I encourage you to get involved.”

With mainstream directors like Michael Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) regularly using an iPhone to shoot his films and video clips, and film festivals such as Sundance showcasing films like Tangerine, shot entirely on phones, the democratisation of film-making is now a reality. With a knowledge of basic film technique, judicious editing and new apps, as well as vision and determination, the art form is within the realm of anyone with a smartphone.

The results of yesterday’s ALC Film Premiere were mixed - but what the students lacked in professionalism they made up for with enthusiasm.

Directed by Simo Ouzzani, the short film Beneath the Black Veil was preceded by a lively discussion among the students on the nature of terrorism. The film followed a personal journey into the motivations of a female suicide bomber.

Other films included The Janitor, about a young man who is forced to take on paid work to support his family, but who still succeeds in pursuing his dream of an education; a film about the process of making a film, Room 6, and Me and I, a contemporary Moroccan comedy which used slapstick and other classic comic traditions to the great enjoyment of the audience.

Amine Wali Alami worked on Me and I. "With this project I did about forty per cent of the direction, thirty per cent of the script writing and all the editing. I got lots of experience, especially in editing and shooting. I learned tricks about transitions, sound, team work and shooting conditions. It was absolutely amazing and fun. Would I try it again? Hell yeah!"

Amine and his team are planning a sequel to Me and I. He is also working on a horror movie and a documentary about heavy metal music in Morocco.

Between the films were brief performances by students - two sang, one did a skilful vocal percussion number, producing up to seven sounds simultaneously using only his mouth, another did a couple of Hip Hop dances, and one young man, Oussama Hasni, gave an edgy standup comedy performance.

Oussama Hasni delivers the comic touch 

The Film Premiere was reminiscent of the early days of films, when silent movies and variety shows were seen by the same audience.

The students were clearly engaged and motivated; keen to develop their filmmaking and English speaking skills. And despite being a little rough around the edges, there was real talent in the room.

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Fez French Institute Offers Film and Debate

Cinema Salon  - The eye of the storm 

Directed by Sékou Traoré 

Thursday, February 9, 19h,  at Dar Batha

The French Institute of Fez offers a new series for film buffs: each month, an intimate film screening, followed by a debate at Dar Batha. (Riad Dar Batha: 15 Salaj, Fes Medina. Tel: 0 5 35 63 67 13) 

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Fes Festival of Culinary Diplomacy

Culinary diplomacy and Mediterranean Cultures at the service of Peace is the name of a culinary event intended to showcase the culinary art of Fez, Seville, Montpellier, Palermo, Istanbul and Beirut

Before the Fes Festival of Sacred Music and the Festival of Sufi Culture, Fez will have its culinary diplomacy Festival. The common point between these three events? Their founder, Faouzi Skali, the man behind the creation of the Fes Sacred Music and Sufi Festivals.

For its first edition, this new festival has opted for an ancient guideline and will relive the Mediterranean gastronomy as it was recorded by the Moroccan geographer Al Idrissi in the 12th century.

In the manuscript - considered the most accurate description at that time  - the author described the culinary peculiarities of each of the cities he visited. Among them, Fez, Seville, Montpellier, Palermo, Istanbul and Beirut. These seven cities will be at the heart of all the event activities: exhibitions cards, cooking workshops, conferences and evenings of tastings.

The French Institute in Fez is the festival partner of this event.

In parallel to the Fez Festival of Culinary Diplomacy will be three film screenings at the library of the French Institute of Fez.

Vatel - directed by Roland Joffé  will screen on Thursday, April 14, 6:30 p.m.

Vatel is a 2000 French-British historical-drama written by Jeanne Labrune and translated by Tom Stoppard, and starring Gérard Depardieu, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Timothy Spall, Julian Glover and Julian Sands. The film, based on the life of 17th-century French chef François Vatel, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Set Decoration. The film opened the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

The Flavours of the Palace from director Christian Vincent will screen on Friday, April 15, 6:30 p.m.

Catherine Frot shines in Christian Vincent's film for foodies in which haute cuisine meets politics in Paris and spartan life in the wastes of Antarctica

Warning: this film should not be watched on an empty stomach. In this tale of the humouring of an ageing president's gastronomic whims, the spectator is regaled with a long succession of scenes in which recipes are discussed in loving detail and meals are prepared with the devotion of a sacrament. The film is light on plot, long on flavour and deliciously French.

The story is based on the real-life case of Danièle Delpeuch, a modest provincial chef and restaurant-owner who in the late 1980s was summoned by President François Mitterrand to be his personal cook at his official residence, the Elysée Palace. Danièle becomes Hortense (Catherine Frot) and Mitterrand becomes the President, played by the 87-year-old non-actor Jean d'Ormesson, better known as a writer and journalist (in the latter role he was for many years one of Mitterrand's fiercest adversaries, an irony older French filmgoers will savour). The President has developed a hankering for the traditional regional cuisine he knew in his youth and decided that Hortense is just the woman he needs to provide him with "the best of France."

A Matter of Taste directed by Bernard Rapp screens on Saturday, April 16, 6:30 p.m.

With Bernard Giraudeau, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Charles Berling

A Matter of Taste (French: ''Une affaire de goût'') is a 2000 film directed by Bernard Rapp. Rapp and Gilles Taurand wrote the screenplay which was based on the book "Affaires de goût" by Philippe Balland. The film received 5 César Award nominations, including the nomination for Best Film.

Frederic Delamont industrial atop its success, refined, original and phobic, meeting in a restaurant a young interim server, Nicolas Rivière. A few days later, it is received by Delamont who asked him to be, against a high salary, especially its taster. What starts as an unusual but lightweight professional relationship will be revealed soon be a much more dangerous game for both men.

Bon Appétit!

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Moroccan Film and Arts News Update

The French Institute in Fez presents excerpts from 'The Life of Galileo' by Bertolt Brecht

This new staging is by Frederick Maragnani is designed for five actors and aims to unite young professional actors from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Art and Cultural Animation (ISADAC) in Rabat with actors from the National School of Theatre Arts and Techniques (ENSATT) in Lyon.

The issue in that heart of Galileo and of Brecht's writing is that of the practical movement. Galileo discovered for the motion of the Earth around the sun, whereas Brecht's ideas of movement challenges the brutal social and political construction of our entire society.

Tuesday, April 19, 19h at the Cultural Complex Al Houria

The Fan Cello Ensemble perform in Fez

The cellists are all graduates of the major French music conservatories of Paris and Lyon, and winners of prestigious international competitions. The Fez concert is part of a tour in all the French Institutes of Morocco.

Under the artistic leadership of Frédéric Audibert are Florent Audibert (of the Haute Normandie regional orchestra), Frédéric Lagarde (cello of the orchestra of the Paris Opera), Guillermo Lefèvre (professor at the CNR Nice), Paul-Antoine de Rocca Serra (Professor of the national school of music Bastia), Thierry Trinari (cellist of the Philharmonic orchestra of Nice), Thierry Amadi (cellist of the Philharmonic orchestra of Monte Carlo ) and Victor Popescu (cellist of the Philharmonic orchestra of Nice).  They form a formidable set the bows, sharpened to serve the music at the highest level.

These "musical Musketeers" as they describe themselves, are all strong individual talents who enter osmosis to produce a superb musical discourse - "All for one music and one for all". Their repertoire is built on all musical styles, and covers more than three centuries of music, mixture of original works and transcriptions of contemporary creations.

Tuesday, April 12, 19h, Dar Batha, Free entry

Filming in Morocco - Prison Break & High Wire Act

Over the next three weeks residents of Casablanca, Rabat and Ouarzazate may will bump into the Scofield brothers. They are in Morocco filming the fifth season of the series "Prison Break".

"Prison Break," which began in 2005, was a resounding success by bringing in his first season almost 10 million American viewers per episode, reaching an audience of 3 million people each week on average during its fourth and final season.

Jon Hamm will be in Morocco in coming weeks for the filming in Tangier and Tetouan of the political thriller "High Wire Act," directed by American Tony Gilroy ( "Michael Clayton," "Jason Bourne"), co-produced by Ted Field and Mike Weber and directed by Brad Anderson.

In the film, which takes place in Beirut in the 1980s, Jon Hamm plays the role of a former US diplomat recalled to duty to help a former colleague who would be responsible for the death of his family.

The actress Rosamund Pike ( "Gone Girl") will also star in the film. She will play a CIA agent in the US embassy in Lebanon, with the objective of  ensuring the success of his mission.

Jon Hamm

“I’m thrilled the way the project’s come together,” Anderson said. “Jon Hamm was made to play the part.”

Hamm has been active in movies during the seven-season run of “Mad Men,” which concludes May 17. He’s appeared in “The Town,” “Bridesmaids” and “Million Dollar Arm” and will be seen next year in Fox’s “Keeping Up with the Joneses.”

Anderson’s previous films include “The Machinist,” “Transsiberian” and “The Call” with Halle Berry. He has also directed several TV pilots, including “Zoo” for CBS.

That production has obtained a Moroccan filming permit which runs from March 28 to June 17, 2016.

The 7th art in the service of the right to life

The Moroccan Coalition Against the Death Penalty and the Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights have joined together to organise the first festival of the film against the death penalty, under the theme "The 7th art in the service of law life ". The Coalition is inviting the public to join them from 11 to 16 April at the Art Cinema Rabat. Entry is free.

الدخول مجاني! الائتلاف المغربي من اجل الغاء عقوبة الإعدام والمنظمة المغربية لحقوق الإنسان ينظمان المهرجان الأول للفيلم ضد عقوبة الإعدام تحت شعار" الفن السابع في خدمة الحق في الحياة ". ندعوكم للانضمام إلينا من 11 إلى 16 أبريل علی الساعة السادسة بقاعة الفن السابع الرباط.

Chefchaouen ~ 10th edition of the Alegria Festival, 15th and 16th of July

The 10th edition of the music festival "Alegria" will be held in Chefchaouen, with the participation of a large number of Moroccan and foreign artists.

This cultural event will be attended by a host of talented Moroccan, Spanish and Latin American artists.

The city of Chefchaouen hopes to see its heritage magnified by the exotic rhythms of strings, brass and percussion that will resonate throughout the famous blue streets of the Medina.

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French Institute - Free Film in Fez

FICAM Ciné Concert:

(Même) pas peur du Loup

The fear of wolves is undeniably a fundamental and recurring fears of children. The figure of the wolf is present in the collective unconscious and in the albums of youth literature, tales, stories, cartoons, inspiring all generations. Children thus constantly "in touch" with this iconic figure. They love to play at frightening: "Let's play the wolf!". Fear is fundamental in their construction and development of their imagination. It spurs the senses, stimulates creativity and inventiveness and creates the ultimate laughter and relief.

Music and Cinema - with musicians: Anne-Laure Bourget and Olivier Leroy
Duration: 45 minutes
Thursday, March 31, 19h, Dar Batha
Free entry


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Ouarzazate Film Festival 2016

The Ouarzazate International Film Festival (OIFF) is scheduled to take place between the 18th and 23rd of April in Qouarzazate.   The festival will showcase emerging filmmakers from Morocco and abroad. The festival takes place on the edge the sahara desert in unique settings of culture and filmmaking history

Festival organisers had to sift through almost 3000 entries

Interest in the festival from filmmakers is intense with 2978 films received by the organisers whose task it was to cut that number down to the 100 films to be featured at the festival.

For this first edition, the Ouarzazate International Film Festival accepted only short films (up to 26min) of all genres. Films could be submitted via online screener (Vimeo, YouTube, FilmFreeway or Reelport Screener). All non-English language films had to be subtitled in English.

There are only four awards on offer:  Best Short Fiction Film,  Best Short Documentary, Best Animated Short, Best Moroccan Short (all genres).

For visitors to Morocco. Ouarzazate is a must-see destination. Nicknamed "The door of the desert", the city is the capital of Ouarzazate Province in the Drâa-Tafilalet region of south-central Morocco. Ouarzazate is at an elevation of 1,160 metres (3,810 ft) in the middle of a bare plateau south of the High Atlas Mountains. To the south of the town is the desert.

The town is chiefly inhabited by Berber-speakers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs (locally known as: iɣeṛman) and buildings for which the area is known. Ouarzazate is an important holiday destination in Morocco, as a base for excursions across the Draa Valley and into the desert. The fortified village (ksar) of Ait Benhaddou west of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ouarzazate area is a noted film-making location, with Morocco's biggest studios inviting many international companies to work here. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Kundun (1997), Legionnaire (1998), Hanna (2011), and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011) were shot here, as was part of the TV series Game of Thrones.

For more info visit the festival website: OIFF

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Meknes International Festival of Animation

The 15th edition of the Meknes International Festival of Animation (FICAM) will take place between March 25th and 30th in Meknes

Organised by the French Institute of Meknes and Aisha Foundation, this 15th edition is expected to attract the general public, art school students and audiovisual and film professionals

The festival will focus on the animated documentary form and include a retrospective devoted to the Romanian director Anca Damian.

Anca Damian

Anca Damian studied at the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Bucharest where she majored in cinematography and later obtained a Doctor's degree in Film. She has worked as the director of photography for two feature films and many other documentary films. Her work includes Crossing Dates (2008), Crulic - The Path to Beyond (2011),  A Very Unsettled Summer (2013) and the animated docu-drama The Magic Mountain (2015)

I'm digging and experimenting at every stage. One of my targets is not to repeat things, to try to be fresh. Life is a mix. Life is dark with light, tears with laughing - if life is complex why shouldn't my film be? - Anca Damian

Included in the festival is an exhibition, Travel Portraits from French director Bastien Dubois who is known for Madagascar, a Journey Diary (2010), Cargo Cult (2013) and Portraits de voyages Japon: Hôjô Jutsu (2013).

Bastien Dubois

The opening session will screen the documentary The Prophet by American Roger Allers who was inspired by the work of Gibran Khalil Gibran. The film, was a pet project of Selma Hayek who produced as well as taking the lead voice role alongside Liam Neeson. It has received mixed reviews.

The jury, chaired by the Moroccan director El Mahassine Hachadi, will have their work cut out with  32 films and 230 short films vying for one of the 6 major prizes.


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Free Film Evenings in Fez

The French Institute in Fez continues its programme of free movies with a superb film - The Tree - from director Julie Bertuccelli

In Australia, Dawn and Peter live happily with their children in the shadow of their giant fig tree. When Peter dies suddenly, everyone reacts in its own way. Simone believes that his father is now living in the tree and Dawn initiates its secret ...

The Tree (2010), co-produced between Australia and France, was filmed in the small town of Boonah in Queensland, Australia and follows the lives of Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her four children after the unexpected death of her husband Peter (Aden Young). The film is an adaptation of the debut novel Our Father Who Art in The Tree by Australian writer and performer Judy Pascoe. The film closed the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2010 following the Awards Ceremony and received a seven-minute standing ovation. Though it leans rather heavily on its central metaphor, The Tree is a moving and ultimately hopeful meditation on grief with shades of magical realism.

An interesting background fact is that the tree used in the film is the Teviotville Tree, located in the small town of Teviotville in the state of Queensland. It has a 34 m spread, 20 m height and 2.31 m diameter at 1 m above ground, which is the narrowest point. The tree has low branches which have not been pruned off, and when they are laden with fruit they reach the ground. It is estimated that it was planted in 1880

FILM TIMES
Wednesday, January 13, 19h, Cinema Boujloud
Thursday, January 14, 19h, Complexe Culturel Al Houria
Free entry


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12th Zagora Film Festival Opens This Week

The twelfth edition of the Trans-Saharan Film Festival at Zagora opens on December 17th and runs to the 20th under the theme: Film and Tolerance

Again this year the festival will hold an international competition for feature films, with entries from Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Holland, Canada, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates.

Featured films will have a common link with subjects related to desert culture; water, nomadism oasis lifestyle, customs and manners, Kasbahs and climate change.

Egyptian actor Abdelaziz Makhyoun has been chosen to chair the competition jury. Makhyoun is known for Beggars and Proud Ones (1991), Alexandria... Why? (1979) and Hadduta misrija (1982).

Abdelaziz Makhoyoun

Besides the competition section, the festival devotes a lot of energy into promoting training for young people in the region, with workshops led by experts on acting, audiovisual reportage,  documentary making and a master class provided by the Moroccan writer Mohamed Ariouès, focusing on writing film scripts.

The Association for the Trans-Sahara Zagora movie hopes to promote the image of Zagora as a city with high cultural and human values and a place of innovation, openness, dialogue and tolerance.

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Free Films in Fez

Café Clock and the French Institute in Fez are both offering free movies this week

The French Institute in Fez are screening A Screaming Man on Wednesday, September 30, at 19h, in the funky old Cinema Boujloud - entry is free.

A Screaming Man (French: Un homme qui crie) is a 2010 French-Chadian drama film by Mahamat Saleh Haroun, starring Youssouf Djaoro and Diouc Koma. It revolves around the current civil war in Chad, and tells the story of a man who sends his son to war in order to regain his position at an upscale hotel. Themes of fatherhood and the culture of war are explored.

Principal photography took place on location in N'Djamena and Abéché. The film won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Cafe Clock is showing two movies on Saturday. Milh Hadha al-Bahr (The Salt of this Sea) directed by Annemarie Jacir with Suheir Hammad, Saleh Bakri, Riyad Ideis. Th e movie is in Darija with French subtitles.

The second movie is The Illusionist Directed by Neil Burger with Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti . Th e movie is in English with French subtitles.

Both movies are free First screening is at 6pm


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Moroccan News Briefs #132

Eleven Moroccan cities will be administered by the PJD

After the shake-up produced by the recent regional and municipal elections, the picture is becoming clearer as to where the power rests. At least eleven Moroccan cities will be administered by the ruling PJD. These include Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Agadir, and Tangier

The administrative capital, Rabat, and its neighbouring cities, Salé and Temara will be chaired respectively by Mohamed Sadki, and Jamaa Moatassim and Moh Rejdali, described as the "three tenors" of the PJD.

The city of Marrakech will be managed by Mohamed Larbi Belcaid. former MP of the city.

In the north, the PJD is appointing Mohamed Bachir Abdellaoui President of Tangiers and Mohamed Sefiani in Chefchaouen with Bouanou Abdallah taking charge of Meknes.

In Agadir the mayor will Salah Mallouki who will replace Tariq Kabbaj. The city of Errachidia be administered by Abdallah Hannaoui.

Idriss Azami Al Idrissi will take charge of Fez

Casablanca will now be managed by Abdelaziz Omari, the young Minister for Relations with Parliament and Civil Society.

The former Istiqlal stronghold has changed hands and now the city of Fez, the spiritual capital of the country, will be chaired by Idriss Azami Al Idrissi, Minister for the Budget.

Morocco to Increase Refugee Intake

While dozens of Syrian migrant are trying to cross the border of Melilla, Moroccan authorities have announced they could grant asylum to an additional 500 Syrian refugees.

The minister of communication, Mustapha El Khalfi tmade the announcement in a press conference.

The government spokesman said, without specifying the actual numbers, that "the Ministry of Migration Affairs had held a meeting to evaluate the possibility of accepting a number of Syrian asylum seekers. These cases are being processed by the National Monitoring Committee and Appeals chaired by the national committee of Human Rights (CNDH). " But a ministerial source says that the CNDH had investigated "459 asylum requests, including 126 concerning children."

This would be a first time any Syrian migrant had obtained asylum in Morocco. Previoisly 5250 Syrians had been regularised in the exceptional regularisation operation in 2014. According to the minister in charge of Moroccans living abroad and Migration Affairs, Anis Birou, the numbers primarily concerned women and children.

Rabat to Rome with Ryanair

Ryanair is due to launch a new route linking Rabat to Rome in the summer of 2016.

During a media briefing in Rome on Thursday, Ryanair CEO Micheal O’Leary announced a total of seven new routes from Rome’s Ciampino and Fiumicino airports for the summer of 2016 season, including a route to Rabat

According to O’Leary, flights will be either two or three times a week to Rabat.

Ryanair is the largest low-cost airline in Morocco and the second largest carrier in the key Morocco-European market after RAM, and the biggest carrier at both Marrakech and Fez.

The company is currently operating from Marrakech to Brussels-Charleroi, Dusseldorf, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Girona, London Luton, London Stansted, Madrid, Marseille, Milan, Paris Beauvais, Pisa, Rome Ciampino, and Sevilla.

From Fes, Ryanair currently operates flights to Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Girona, Marseille, Milan and Paris Beauvais. It added Lille, Nantes, and St. Etienne in 2013.

Extremists Busted in Essaouira

More success for the security authorities as five people suspected of preparing a terrorist plot were arrested on Saturday, September 12, in Essaouira by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ).

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry, a large arsenal was seized. This included "four automatic pistols, a machine gun, seven tear gas canisters and three electric batons." Authorities also seized a "large quantity of ammunition and suspicious materials that can be used in the manufacture of explosives".

This "terror cell" whose members "adopt the bloody line of the so-called Islamic state terrorist organization" was active in three locations: Beni Mellal, Sidi Allal Bahraoui and Tinzouline, below Zagora, the source said.

They had planned to "commit acts of sabotage targeted in the Kingdom before joining ISIL  camps," the statement added.

Of the five people arrested, three were in a "one of the safe houses in Essaouira," according to the communiqué. The investigation is continuing under the supervision of prosecutors, the statement said the Interior Ministry.

Free Films in Fez

Café Clock is showing two interesting movies this week - Darbareye Elly Directed by Asghar Farhadi with Golshi eh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini and Taraneh Alidoosti. The movie is in Darija with French subtitles.

The Theory of Everything Directed by James Marsh with Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones and Tom Prior. The movie is in English with French subtitles

The films are shown Monday and Saturday at 6pm and entry is free.

Ninth International Women’s Film Festival in Salé

The ninth edition of the International Women’s Film Festival in Salé, organised by the Abi Raqraq Association, will run from September 28 to October 3, 2015.

The festival will host a competition for twelve feature films that deal with women’s issues with entries from Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Asia.

The opening film, The Unbearable Presence of Asmahan from Palestinian director Azza El-Hassan, tells the story of an Egyptian diva's songs that speak to the musical arts of an age gone by.

This year’s festival will also host a forum on this year’s theme:”Female directors, between technical measures and the financial conditions of production”.

During the closing ceremony on October 3, the winners of the following prize will be announced: Grand Prize of the Festival, the Jury Award, Best Female Role Award, and the Award for Best Male Role, and Documentary Film Award.

During this forum, some new Moroccan films will be screened, and two actresses, Egyptian and Moroccan, will be honored for great artistic careers.

The Association Communiqué reports that the International Women’s Film Festival does not seek to re-produce itself, but intends to move forward, regardless of the means available, as it preserves its identity as a festival dedicated to women.

Nkoyen Hwank Dieppe's Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere from Vietnam 

The feature films that will compete for this prize include; Aida MariniIdris, Morocco, 2015. Lesson Kristona Kroziewa and Peter Vahanov, Bulgaria, Greece, 2015. Virgin Under Oath, Laura Bespora, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Albania 2015 Summer Sonkaile, Olanta Kavalleti, Lithuania, France, 2015.  Nahed Ida Banahandi, Iran, 2015  Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere Nkoyen Hwank Dieppe, Vietnam, France, 2015.  Second Mother Anna Mulajri, Brazil, 2015.  Pauline Gets Away. Emily Preezavon, France 2015.  Misting,  Denise Gamza Aarkevin, Turkey 2015. Adrian (mechanist), Rooney Bolioh, Canada, 2015. The Price of Love, Imon Haile, Ethiopia 2014. and Decor, Ahmed Abdullah, Egypt 2014.

Finally - for our Australian expat readers...

You have a new Prime Minister! Malcolm Turnbul has defeated Tony Abbot by 54 votes to 44 in a leadership spill. The former banker and lawyer, who defended Peter Wright in the Spycatcher case, is set to be sworn in as the fifth prime minister in five years after winning a vote of Liberal party MPs and senators.

Turnbull promised to lead a “thoroughly Liberal government” that would explain the challenges facing Australia and “not lecture”.

“I’m very humbled by the great honour and responsibility that has been given to me today,” he said.

Observers say Turnbull read the public mood perfectly and his party realised that Abbot had become so despised by a huge number of voters that he was unelectable in the future.


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