Interview: Hédi Zardi Atlas Workshop – 2026 Marrakech Film Festival

The Atlas Workshops provide artistic and professional support to Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers and producers, helping them advance film projects through development and post-production with tailored guidance from international industry professionals. Now in its ninth edition, running November 22–26 during the upcoming Marrakech Film Festival, the Atlas Workshops have provided crucial support to filmmakers across their various sections. Beyond the projects that go on to earn recognition at prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Cannes and Venice, the program’s influence is increasingly evident in the next generation of filmmakers, who now cite these works as reference points in their own pitch decks. This year’s selection spans first, second and third features from across the Arab world and Africa, from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia to Rwanda, Sudan, Senegal and Cabo Verde. Ahead of next month’s workshop, I had the chance to discuss with Hédi Zardi the head of the workshops about the new wave of Moroccan cinema with Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia Alaoui, Yasmine Benkiran, Alaa Eddine Aljem and Ismaël El Iraki who are offering more singular national cinema, while we took a closer look at five debut features in the Films in Production and Post-Production sections by Mouayed Zabtia, Lara Zeidan, Jessy Moussallem, Yoro Mbaye and Samuel Ishimwe, all of whom will receive mentorship from Brazilian master filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho.