Enhancing Media Skills in Morocco
The Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation is taking a significant step forward in enhancing the skills of cultural media professionals by announcing a new session of its workshop focused on initiating and advancing cinema critique. This pivotal educational and analytical event is set to take place on July 15 and 16, 2026, in Casablanca, specifically aimed at cultural journalists and those specializing in the seventh art who are currently active within the Kingdom's newsrooms.
This session represents the fifth edition of a rigorous learning program that was initiated in 2024. Building on the success of the previous four editions, which included two sessions for professional journalists and two for students in journalism and cinema, the Foundation is committed to continuing its mission. The workshop aims to equip participants with advanced tools centered on film analysis, journalistic critique writing techniques, and methodologies for interviewing directors.
This workshop is not merely an isolated initiative; it is fully integrated into the Atlas Programs framework. This strategic platform encompasses all of the Foundation's professional and academic initiatives, dedicated to mentoring, training, and actively supporting new generations of Moroccan, Arab, and African cinema professionals and critics. The Atlas Programs are structured around the renowned Ateliers de l’Atlas, which is the Foundation's historic mechanism for co-production and development within the regional audiovisual industry.
Expert Guidance from a Cinema Critique Authority
For the July 2026 session, the Foundation is making a remarkable choice by inviting an international cinema critique authority, Charles Tesson, to lead the workshops. Tesson is a distinguished figure in the film industry, having served as the editor-in-chief of the prestigious Cahiers du cinéma from 1998 to 2003 and as the general delegate of the Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival from 2012 to 2021. Currently, he is a professor of film history at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris 3) and has authored reference works on cinema masters like Satyajit Ray, Luis Buñuel, and Akira Kurosawa.
The training will feature a rich and immersive schedule spanning two days of practical work. The first day will focus on the theoretical foundations of the profession, where participants will explore the history of film criticism, ethics and deontology in the field, and conduct a comparative analysis of significant critical texts related to a reference work. The second day will shift to practical applications. Journalists will attend a feature film screening, followed by a critical debate, an in-depth sequence-by-sequence film analysis, an introduction to the intricacies of interviewing directors, and a practical writing workshop under the attentive guidance of Charles Tesson.
Participation in this event is entirely free, although spaces are limited to ensure a quality learning experience. To maximize accessibility, discussions will take place in both French and Arabic, with a simultaneous translation system in place. Eligibility criteria require candidates to reside and work in Morocco and hold a professional press card. Interested journalists have until June 26, 2026, to submit their application through the official portal of the Marrakech International Film Festival.
As reported by laverite.ma.
