Dakhla International Film Festival: Moroccan ‘Annatto’ Wins Grand Prix

The feature film “Annatto” by Moroccan director and screenwriter Fatima Ali Boubekdi won the Grand Prix of the 10th Dakhla International Film Festival, which wrapped up Sunday.

The Jury Prize of this festival was awarded to “Night of the kings” by director Philippe Lacôte from Côte d’Ivoire.

The Award for best female performance went to the actress Hanane Metouaâ, for her role in the movie “Unbreakable” of the Egyptian director, Ahmed Rashwan.

The Prize for best male performance was awarded to Bakari Kone for his role in the film “Night of the Kings”.

Fatima Ali Boubekdi expressed her pride in grabbing the Grand Prix of Dakhla, since it is her first achievement in Morocco, after winning numerous awards internationally.

For the president of the festival, Zine El Abidine Charafeddine, “the African dimension of this festival is dictated by geography, culture and social ties, linking Dakhla to its African roots”.

The 10th edition of the Dakhla International Film Festival was attended by a host of artists, filmmakers and personalities from the world of art, culture and the media.

This cinematographic high mass celebrated African cinema through the presence of filmmakers from thirteen African countries, namely Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Rwanda, Chad and Benin, in addition to the host country Morocco.

The opening ceremony on Friday was marked by a tribute to a number of Moroccan and African artists and filmmakers. These include Moroccan actress Mouna Fettou and Moroccan director Jerôme-Cohen Olivar.

Olivar is the author of two major feature films “Kandisha”, which was one of the last appearances of the icon of world cinema David Carradine and “The Midnight Orchestras” with Gad Elmaleh and Hassan El Fad.

A tribute was also paid to the Rwandan director and producer Jacqueline Murekeyisoni, who is the director of the International Festival of Women’s Cinema and the director of the executive committee of the “Cinéma des Femmes” association in Rwanda, which works for the training of an elite of female Rwandan filmmakers.

The jury of this cinematographic meeting was chaired by Senegalese producer, actor and filmmaker, Moussa Touré, and included cinema professionals such as the Moroccan actress, Farah El Fassi, the Congolese director, Fila David Pierre and the Tunisian director, Sami Talili.