2024-08-05 21:53:12
During this evening, enhanced by the presence of great artists of the seventh art and personalities from the world of art, culture and the media, Faouzi Bensaïdi received the Golden Star from the hands of his wife, the Moroccan actress Nezha Rahil.
This tribute is intended to recognize the exemplary career in front of and behind the camera that Faouzi Bensaïdi has led for nearly 25 years. A leading author of Moroccan cinema, he is one of its most illustrious representatives internationally, with his films regularly selected in the world’s greatest festivals.
Speaking on this occasion, Faouzi Bensaïdi expressed his warm thanks to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the immense support of the Sovereign to cinema in general and Moroccan cinema in particular, as well as to His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, President of the Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation, and to the organizers of this high-quality cinematographic event.
The filmmaker, who was surrounded on stage by a host of actors with whom he collaborated during his career, namely Nadia Kounda, Mohcine Malzi, Abdelhadi Taleb, Fehd Benchemsi, Hajar Graigaa and Rabii Benjhaile, also thanked the artists who accompanied him in the different stages of his career, as well as the technicians and members of his family.
“I only made my first short film at the age of 30, and for me it was a second birth, as important as the one written on my official documents. So by a simple calculation, my cinema age is 25,” he said.
The Moroccan director also spoke about his early career, stressing that “all my films are first films, because cinema does not film certainties, but doubt, flaws, accidents and weakness.”
For his part, Moroccan actor Rabii Benjhaile said, on behalf of all the artists present on stage, that “we stand before you in an exceptional moment of recognition and gratitude towards a man and an artist with whom we shared a love of theatre and a passion for cinema.”
“Faouzi Bensaïdi is a brilliant director who has enchanted us with cinematic shots, where image and sound intertwine with beauty and depth, thus engraving his name in gold letters among the greats,” he continued.
This evening of tribute was also marked by the screening of the film “Déserts” by Faouzi Bensaïdi, as well as a video which reviews the most significant films of the filmmaker’s career.
Faouzi Bensaïdi directed his first short film “La Falaise” in 1998. Then, he co-wrote “Loin” with André Téchiné. In 2000, he directed two short films, namely “Le Mur”, awarded at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and “Trajets”, awarded at the Venice Film Festival.
The filmmaker’s first feature film “A Thousand Months” received several international awards. Subsequently, this native of Meknes directed the film “What a Wonderful World”, selected at the Venice Film Festival, as well as the film “Death for Sale” (2011), which won the Art et Essai Prize at the Berlinale.
In 2022, he directed “Jours d’été”, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in today’s Morocco. His latest film “Déserts” is part of the 2023 selection of the Quinzaine des réalisateurs.
The Marrakech International Film Festival also paid tribute, during the opening ceremony of its 20th edition, to the famous Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
2024-08-05 21:53:12