Cannes Festival: Rachida Dati visits the Moroccan pavilion

The French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, visited on Sunday the Moroccan pavilion at the 78th edition of the Cannes Festival, held from May 13 to 24.

During this visit, which took place in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, Abdelaziz El Bouzdaini, and the president of the French Center for Cinema and Animated Image (CNC), Gaëtan Bruel, Mrs. Dati exchanged with young Moroccan talents selected within the framework of the Morocco-France co-production workshop, holders of fiction/animation feature film projects.

The result of the film co-production agreement signed on May 18, 2024, in Cannes between Morocco and France, this workshop organized by the CCM and the National Center for Cinema and Animated Image (CNC) aims to promote the emergence of a new generation of Moroccan filmmakers by offering them a platform for professional meetings with French producers accredited at the Festival and the Film Market.

«It is a pleasure to come visit the Moroccan pavilion which always welcomes many people and is very open », Mrs. Dati said in a statement to MAP.

The cooperation agreement signed a year ago with the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, in the field of culture, particularly in cinema and animation, has begun to be implemented, Mrs. Dati said, emphasizing that she met young Moroccans «very professional » who benefited from this agreement, as well as the joint support of the CCM and its French counterpart.

In this regard, she highlighted the commitment of a large number of young Moroccans in the sectors of gaming, video, and animated film, areas considered to be «high growth » in Morocco. «And also, not only high growth, but with a very particular expertise from which we, in France, could also benefit »,  she stated.

«This is an equal cooperation from which we have much to gain »,emphasized the French minister, considering that one year after the signing of this agreement, it is now appropriate to think about the next step, because «we are already very advanced ».

For his part, Mr. El Bouzdaini, also interim director of the CCM, said in a similar statement that Mrs. Dati’s visit to the Moroccan pavilion is part of the continuation of the bilateral agreement signed in 2024 on co-production and film exchange, «the first concrete results of which are already visible ».

He specified that, within the framework of the implementation of this agreement, a call for applications was launched jointly with the French side a few months ago, adding that out of about twenty projects received, five were selected, mostly carried by young directors on the occasion of their first or second work.

«B2B meetings were organized today on the sidelines of the Festival », allowing these project holders to meet about fifteen co-producers to discuss collaboration prospects, he said.

Two projects were presented to Mrs. Dati, the first is a 3D animated feature film, Mr. El Bouzdaini specified. The second is more of a classic cinema, integrating elements of artificial intelligence with a nod to animation, he added.

Morocco is strongly present at the 78th edition of the Cannes Festival, through a pavilion set up by the CCM at the International Village, as well as a stand at the Film Market dedicated to the promotion of Moroccan film.