Moroccan filmmakers Meryem Benm’barek, Sofia Alaoui and Yasmine Benkiran are among the fourteen projects (includes two docus) selected at this year’s Marrakech Intl. Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops’ Projects in Development, while co-patriots Alaa Eddine Aljem and Ismaël El Iraki (both will be premiering their latest works at major film fests next year) are part of the Films in Production or Post-Production selections. Alaa Eddine Aljem premiered The Unknown Saint in Cannes back in 2019 while Ismaël El Iraki premiered Zanka Contact at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. Lebanon’s Jessy Moussallem premiered her short at the Sundance Film Festival and expanded in into feature film – we are keeping tabs on this one. Following in the recent footsteps of Jeff Nichols and Cristian Mungiu, Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho has been selected as the Patron of Workshops. We’ll take a deeper dive into the filmmakers and projects selected tomorrow.
PROJECTS AND FILMS SELECTED FOR THE 2026 ATLAS WORKSHOPS
Projects in Development
“Algiers Haze – Sarra Ryma” (Algeria), first feature – fiction
“America Is Behind the Door” – Laila Abbas (Palestine), second feature – fiction
“Ashes” – Meryem Benm’barek (Morocco), third feature – fiction
“A Beautiful Land to Die” – Amjad Abu Alala (Sudan), second feature – fiction
“Chronicles of an Unannounced Death” – Dyaa Naim (Syria), first feature – fiction
“Eko Gongon” – Carlos Yuri Ceuninck (Cabo Verde), second feature – documentary
“The Highway” – Farah Kassem (Lebanon), second feature – fiction
“A Lover’s Manifesto” – Alfred Tarazi (Lebanon), first feature – documentary
“Safara” – Awa Moctar Gueye (Senegal), first feature – fiction
“The Sleepers” – Sofia Alaoui (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Songs From the City of the Dead” – Abdelwahab Shawky (Egypt), first feature – fiction
“Studio Kébé” – Dyana Gaye (Senegal), second feature – fiction
“Waltz of the Savages” – Yasmine Benkiran (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“The Zebra’s Shadow” – Gaël Kamilindi (Rwanda), first feature – fiction
Films in Production or Post-Production
“1986” – Mouayed Zabtia (Libya), first feature – fiction
“Birthday” – Lara Zeidan (Lebanon), first feature – fiction
“Eldorado” – Alaa Eddine Aljem (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Fagadaga” – Yoro Mbaye (Senegal), first feature – fiction
“Faux Bijoux” – Jessy Moussallem (Lebanon), first feature – fiction
“Hamlet From the Slums” – Ahmed Fawzi-Saleh (Egypt), second feature – fiction
“Mehal Sefari” – Abraham Gezahagne (Ethiopia), third feature – fiction
“My Father Killed Bourguiba” – Fatma Riahi (Tunisia), second feature – documentary
“Occupational Hazards” – Bassel Ghandour (Jordan), second feature – fiction
“Seasons of the Weary Kind” – Samuel Ishimwe (Rwanda), first feature – fiction
“Wolfmother” – Ismaël El Iraki (Morocco), second feature – fiction
Atlas Close-Ups
“Amar Made His Dream Come True” – Samira El Mouzghibati (Morocco), second feature – documentary
“B512, The Man Who Forgot to Die” – Jihane El Bahhar (Morocco), third feature – fiction
“The Cemetery’s Birds” – Madane El Ghazouani (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Like a Sister” – Sonia Terrab (Morocco), first feature – fiction
“Medina” – Yassine Fennane (Morocco), fourth feature – fiction
Atlas Station – Selected Moroccan Professionals
Hamza Azeroual
Rita Berrada
Hiba El Abkari
Roaa Idali
Nadia Janati Idrissi
Yassin Karmoudi
Younes Lazrak
Reda Zerouali
Atlas Station – Short Films in Post-Production
“Kanaf” – Salma El Belghiti (Morocco), first short film – fiction
“Only the Palm Trees Remain” – Youssef Boucetta, Josh Brainin (Morocco), second short film – fiction
“Takzdouft: Ghosts of Mountains” – Omar Hazmiri (Morocco), second short film – documentary
“Saida” – Amine Zeriouh (Morocco), third short film – fiction
“Where the Sun Never Sets” – Yassine Ouahrani (Morocco), first short film – fiction
