The 22nd edition of the National Film Festival in Tangier was launched on Friday, September 16, in an atmosphere of very warm reunions, after its interruption for two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The three tributes paid to the emblematic figures of the seventh art: Saïl, Tazi and Lamriki gave weight to this kick-off.
All the professionals in the sector were very happy to find their universe again, with great hope for a better future for Moroccan cinema. Mounir Laymouri, President of the Municipal Council of Tangier, also welcomed this recovery which gives breath to art and culture, but also to the city of Detroit which hosts this cinematographic event and its many guests, who came from all regions of the Kingdom.
For his part, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mehdi Bensaid, hailed this initiative bringing creativity and novelty to the world of art, while remembering the achievements of the late Noureddine Saïl who has contributed with a lot of energy to the influence of Moroccan cinema, by bringing to it all his experience and knowledge that he has acquired in his career as a great cinephile. The latter was entitled, at the opening of the festival, to a fervent tribute, with extracts from some of his interventions in conferences, interviews or master classes, then two equally strong testimonies, in particular that of the director Kamal Kamal who praised the contributions of this outstanding personality whom he named the spiritual father of Moroccan cinema. “This extraterrestrial who had no specific age and had the magical ability to let you dialogue with great philosophers and intellectuals. His accomplishments make him far from forgotten. It is very difficult to enumerate all that he brought to the audio-visual universe in our country, starting with the creation of the National University of Film Clubs, then his support for national film production, and his encouragement of film production in Arab and African countries, or his many leading initiatives when he was at 2M”.
This testimony was followed by that of his wife Nadia Larguet who knew him better than anyone and who experienced his qualities and skills very closely, including his great nationalism and his indefinite passion for cinema. She summed up her qualities in four words: loyalty, righteousness, immunity and fidelity. Another well-deserved tribute was awarded to producer Souad Lamriki, whose brilliant career was praised by a touching word from director Salma Bargach who underlined that “Souad has established herself as an independent producer among the most assets of Moroccan cinema. As she has collaborated with many renowned directors, both Moroccan and foreign. She is also known for her generosity and sense of sharing. And finally came the turn of the distinguished third who is none other than the famous director Mohamed Abderrahmane Tazi. One of the leaders of Moroccan cinema, whose career has been meticulously presented by the writer Ghita El Khayat. As for him, he did not fail to thank all those who chose him for this honorary distinction, because for him “to pay tribute to someone during his lifetime, it is a testimony of his contribution to creativity”, he indicates. Two of these films were screened on this occasion, namely the short film “Le voleur d’images” and the feature film “Le grand voyage”. A good launch for a whole week of screenings of films that have been shot over the past two years.
Tangier Film Festival: Tribute to the great figures of cinema