Short Syrian film “Photograph” at the opening of the Educational Film Festival for Children in Summer Camps in Morocco
The 4th edition of the Educational Film Festival for Children in Summer Camps in Morocco, being held between July 28th and July 31st at Mohammed VI Theater in Casablanca, will open with the Syrian short film “Photograph” by Director Almohannad Kalthoum.
The festival, organized by the Association “Image for Cultural Heritage” under the theme “Our Childhood is Our Image”, is held this year in digital and face-to-face format.
According to Nadia Akerrouach, Director of the festival and president of the organizing association “Educational Film for Children at Summer Camps”, this edition of the festival comes under exceptional circumstances experienced by the artistic and cultural scene and in the light of the relative relief in Morocco following the quarantine period due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
She underlined that this edition was organized in a way that allows a large group of children and young people in the urban camps to benefit from shows and open meetings with artists.
Akerrouach added that during this edition, the association aims at establishing contacts between educational film makers in Morocco and their counterparts in the Arab world in order to help children and youths get acquainted with other cultures and civilizations. It also aims at focusing on the value of cinema in general, and educational film in particular, to consolidate a positive image about cinema among children and young people.
The jury of the festival comprises actor and director Mohamed Nadif as president, actress Khadija Adly, the researcher in educational sciences Hassan Khii, the plastic artist Mustafa Al-Nafi and the child actor Zakaria Annan.
Commenting on the participation of the Syrian film “Photograph” in this educational film festival, its director Almohannad Kalthoum told “Syria Times”: “I am so glad over choosing “Photograph” for the opening of this event. This means that the film has achieved important characteristics and that it fits the opening of such a significant international film festival.”
“Photograph film has taken part in several international festivals and won several gold prizes, and the most important thing about the participation of “Photograph” is that the festival is devoted to children issues and the major theme of “photograph” is the Syrian children’s suffering during the past years of destructive war.”
“We aim at making other children of the world know about the experience, suffering and pains the Syrian children have experienced during the war waged on their country,” Kalthoum made it clear.
The Syrian film “Photograph” depicts the repercussions of the war in Syria on Syrian children. It tackles child labor and the difficult economic circumstances that force children to leave schools and look for a job to support their families. The film also highlights the situation of children in the post-war stage as well as man’s struggle to survive.
“Photograph”, which is the production of the National Film Organization, stars Suleiman al-Ahmad, Ghaleb Shandoubeh, Jamal al-Ali, Safouh Mimas and Itab Abu Sa’da.
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Hamda Mustafa