Morocco is host to several film festivals. We went to the Tetouan film festival in March, 2012, mainly to see the film of our good friend, Kathy Wazana, but we were delighted to see several good films from the Mediterranean area.
The theme: Focus on the Arab Spring
Many films from various Arab and Mediterranean countries, France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Italy, Lebanon, Serbia, Armenia (amusing piece about a piano – another example of the importance of music in life).
A couple of outstanding examples: Film Exit Caire from Hesham Issawi – good example of the situation leading to the Arab spring in Egypt. A beautiful film showing the power of music was La Cinquième Corde by Moroccan film director, Selma Bergach. Pour une Nouvelle Seville in French and They Were Promised The Sea, in English, by Kathy Wazana. Shot in Morocco and in Israel-Palestine, the film is part historical investigation, part poetic and musical essay on loss and longing, on hope and the possibilities of coexistence.