Yaounde: In a warm and festive atmosphere marked by Cameroonian folklore, prominent figures from politics, arts, culture, and cinema, including Moroccan filmmakers, gathered at the Yaound Congress Palace to attend the official opening ceremony of this 29th festival edition. This edition, which runs until September 27, features Morocco’s participation with four cinematic works. These include “Carved by the Wind” by director Layla Triqui, competing for the International Feature Film award, “This Jungo Life” by David Fedele and Aboubakar Ali, a co-production between Australia, Morocco, and Sudan, selected in the Documentary category, as well as “Absence” by Faical Hlimi and “2002, Battle Against Forgetting,” a Senegalese-Moroccan co-production, selected in the Short Film category.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Morocco is well represented in the juries with three members. Sofia Aghilas, producer and director of the Al Hoceima Festival, is presiding over the Short Films, Series, and Web Series jury, while filmmakers Cherqui Ameur and Iz-Eddine Gourriran are members of the Central African and Cameroonian Feature Film jury. This representation reflects Morocco’s growing presence on the African cinematic scene and the recognition of its professionals’ expertise.

The festival organizers have chosen Brazil as the guest of honor for this edition. A special day will be dedicated to Brazil, featuring the screening of two Brazilian films. Founded in 1997 by director Bassek Ba Kobhio, ‰crans Noirs is an annual gathering for African cinema, aimed at promoting the cinematic works of six Central African countries: Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and Chad.

The festival aims to promote a cinematic culture that fosters discernment and encourages debate, to facilitate interactions between filmmakers, actors, and film industry professionals, and to promote training in the fields of cinema and audiovisual arts. It’s worth noting that national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is the official transport partner of the ‰crans Noirs festival.