Dakhla Film Festival Proceeds Amidst Political Controversy

The 14th Dakhla International Film Festival is underway, but its 14th edition is shadowed by controversy. Groups aligned with the Polisario Front, an independence movement, have initiated a parallel media campaign. They aim to shift the focus from the festival's artistic and cultural aspects to political and human rights debates.

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The 14th edition of the festival confirms once again the position this event occupies among the most prominent cinematic events at the African and international levels.

This campaign has involved issuing statements, posting on social media, and publishing articles in Spanish media. These efforts call for foreign artists and directors to boycott the festival, promoting the narrative that the event holds political significance beyond its cultural and artistic scope. The groups have also highlighted the absence of certain listed participants, attempting to frame these no-shows as politically motivated stances against the festival's organization.

Despite the surrounding controversy, the Dakhla International Film Festival continues its scheduled program. It features film screenings, professional meetings, and cultural activities with participants from Morocco and abroad. The debate accompanying the event persists across media platforms and social networks, running parallel to the festival's artistic schedule.

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The festival has become an established annual event in the city of Dakhla, managing to forge a strong relationship with the population of the southern provinces and contributing to the training and honing of local talents in the cinematic field through successive editions.

Festival director Zain El Abidine Charef Eddine asserted that the 14th edition reaffirms the festival's standing as a major African and international cinematic event. He noted its success over the years in attracting productions from various countries and prominent figures from Africa, the Arab world, and beyond. Charef Eddine added that the festival has become a fixture in Dakhla, fostering strong ties with the local population and nurturing local filmmaking talent.

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The only case that was politically influenced relates to the Spanish director Manuel Pina, while directors and producers from Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, France, and many African countries attended, despite the boycott calls they received.

Addressing the reported absences of some international guests, Charef Eddine clarified that these were typical instances of individuals declining due to professional commitments or personal circumstances, common occurrences at international festivals. He specified that only the Spanish director Manuel Pina's case was politically influenced, while directors and producers from Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, France, and several African nations still attended despite boycott calls. He emphasized that attempts to politicize the event based on a single absence do not reflect the festival's reality, which proceeded normally with numerous guests and filmmakers.

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Attempts to exploit this single absence to give political dimensions to a cultural event do not reflect the reality of the festival's progress, which continued its program normally with the attendance of a large number of guests and filmmakers from Morocco and abroad.