The Three Cultures Foundation organises a colloquium on the Moroccan film industry with El Arbi El Harti
Coinciding with the celebration of the Morocco in Three Cultures programme, and as part of a film series devoted entirely to Morocco during the month of November, the Foundation is offering a talk-colloquium on the current panorama of the Moroccan film industry.
It will take place on Wednesday 29 November at 8.30 p.m., with participants of the stature of the writer and poet El Arbi El Harti; Bruno Smadja, founder of the Mobile Film Festival, and the renowned actors Hicham Malayo and Bouchra Bouafia. A tasting of Moroccan tea and cakes will be offered during the event.
Free admission upon registration at THIS LINK.
About the participants:
El Arbi El Harti
He is a writer, poet, playwright and professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at the Mohamed V University in Rabat, where he leads a broad line of research, organising congresses, seminars and conferences.
He is considered one of the most dynamic cultural activists specialising in intercultural dialogue in the country. Since the 1990s, he has developed and directed a multitude of creative meeting spaces, such as intercultural festivals and NGOs with the aim of using culture as an instrument of knowledge, democracy, development and social cohesion.
He has been Director of the International Institute of the Mediterranean for Morocco and the Arab World, in addition to directing the culture department of the Cervantes Institute in Casablanca, among many other positions.
As an author, he has published, among others, After Tangier, which won the Sial Prize for Fiction in 2003, Une ambition marocaine (2009), Utopia of the Good Place, translated into Japanese and French, Utopia of the Desert (2015), Memory in Motion (2018) and Tribulations of Mary (2021). He has been a columnist for Le360 and has collaborated with Avuí, Infolibre, Primer Acto, Le Matin, Aujourd'hui Le Maroc and Libération.
As a member of the Moroccan Writers' Union, he promotes the rapprochement of Moroccan, Spanish and Latin American creators.
Since 2011, he has been working in the world of the performing arts, especially flamenco choreography, to which he has devoted a doctoral thesis, and has collaborated with the artist María Pagés in the creation of numerous shows.
Bruno Smadja
Founder of the Mobile Film Festival (2005), an international short film festival based on a unique and original format: 1 mobile, 1 minute, 1 film. Its aim is to discover and support talented filmmakers from all over the world through the use of smartphones. This festival aims to be democratic and egalitarian, as it offers the possibility to participate to anyone from anywhere. The Mobile Film Festival is a digital festival from the start, with the aim of reaching the widest possible audience. However, its short and creative format, as well as the technical quality of the films, allows them to be broadcast on all screens: smartphones, computers, televisions, cinemas...
Since 2015, the Mobile Film Festival has been committed to significant issues such as climate change, human rights and women's empowerment. It has received 6,414 film submissions from 157 countries, generating more than 134 million views and distributing €336,600 in production grants.
Hicham Malay
Moroccan actor based in Madrid, Spain. Nominated for the Pilar Award for best actor for the short film Habibi in which he plays Kamal. He has made numerous appearances in film, television and theatre, including roles in the films El Salto by Benito Zambrano and Torrente3 by Santiago Segura. Actor and theatre presenter in Orient Connection (Luna de Oriente), presenter of the festival Noches de Ramadán (Nights of Ramadan). Actor in several TV series such as Berlin (Netflix), Malaka (TVE1), Servir y proteger (TVE1). He has previously played roles in the films 'Un novio para Yasmina', 'Habibi', 'Sud Express', 'La hégira' and 'Guris Guiris'.
Bouchra Bouafia
Actress of Moroccan parents born in Madrid where she currently lives and works. Her roles include her portrayal of the character Mother Amira in the series Skam Spain (2018). Lead actress in the short film Habibi (2021) by Guillermo Cabot, which will be presented at the next Marrakech Film Festival.