Launch of the Casablanca Arab Film Festival in its Fourth Edition

The fourth edition of the Casablanca Arab Film Festival commenced yesterday, Friday, in Morocco, featuring 34 films as part of two competitions for feature and short films. During the opening, the festival honored actress Hala Sedky and actor Khaled El Sawy from Egypt, actress Fatima Harandi "Rawiya" and director Hicham Lasri from Morocco, as well as Tunisian director Ridha Behi. Following the ceremony, the film "Al-Buraq," which was the first feature film by Moroccan director Mohamed Makhtar, was screened after undergoing a new editing process nearly 13 years after its production. In addition to the official competitions, the festival will showcase 21 films in the "Arab Panorama," with highlights including the Syrian film "Al-Hakim" featuring actor Dureid Lahham, the Tunisian film "Zahrat Halab" with actress Hend Sabri, and the Egyptian film "19B" directed by Ahmed Abdullah Saeed. The "Moroccan Panorama" section will feature 12 films, including the documentary "School of Hope" by director Mohamed Al-Aboudi and the narrative film "Overflow" by director Mohsen Basri. The festival's program, which extends until June 23, includes training workshops for youth and amateurs along with meetings with the honorees.