The 12th edition of the Dakhla International Film Festival will take place from June 3rd to 9th under the theme «Dakhla: Gateway to Africa», announced the Association for Cultural and Artistic Revitalisation of the Southern Provinces. The festival promises a rich program showcasing films «produced and created by the African continent», reflecting its diversity and originality. This includes works from both Sub-Saharan and Arab regions. Screenings will be held at the Dakhla Congress Center, featuring films from Sudan, Cameroon, Italy, CongoBrazzaville, Nigeria, Kuwait, UAE, and Morocco. A distinguished jury will preside over the feature film competition, led by Belgian filmmaker Manuel Poutte. Jury members include Moroccan professor Sanaa Ghouati, writer-director Rahmatou Keita (Niger), Egyptian actress Salwa Mohammad Ali, and Zimbabwean director Michael Rayburn. The festival will also showcase short films from Lebanon, DR Congo, Senegal, Niger, Oman, Egypt, Morocco, and Sudan, with a separate jury led by Moroccan director Adil Fadili. Beyond screenings, the festival honors veteran filmmakers: Congolese director Joseph Kumbela, Moroccan director Mohamed Abderrahman Tazi, and Moroccan actress Majdouline Idrissi. Educational events include a symposium on artificial intelligence in filmmaking, a roundtable on «Cinema and National Narrative», and seminars on film distribution and directorial experience. New Moroccan films like «Les divorcées de Casablanca» by Mohamed Ahed Bensouda and «Ana Machi Ana» by Hicham Jabbari will be presented alongside children's animation features. This edition marks a significant development for the «Dakhla Project» platform. This initiative offers financial and development assistance for feature-length screenplay projects, including fiction and documentaries, from Arab, African, and Diaspora regions. Ten projects from Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt were selected and will be evaluated by an international jury.
