Casablanca is a cosmopolitan city with a Mediterranean flair, combining Moorish architecture with European Art Deco elements. The Portuguese gave it its name, which means ‘white house’, and the locals affectionately call it ‘Casa’. I immediately felt at home in this city. On my first day, I had some free time to walk around. By chance, I ended up in Rick’s Café and was able to indulge in the black and white melodrama of Casablanca.
But I was actually there to be part of the jury for the FICIC – Festival International du Cinema Indépendant de Casablanca from 02 to 07 June. Together with wonderful colleagues Ghita El Kahyat, Manuel Sanchez, Lahcen Zinoun and Alain Depardieu as president, we had the pleasure of viewing twelve international independent feature films from twelve countries, including Georgia, Iran, Morocco, Portugal and Palestine, and finally awarded six prizes and a special mention.
This was the second edition of the festival. Under the direction of the passionate cineaste Hammadi Gueroum, a small but fine group of artists, filmmakers and film lovers came together for a week to forge new friendships. His enthusiastic team masterfully organised this first live edition, which included film screenings, workshops and masterclasses, as well as Une Soirée Poétique with Ahmed Al Mulla.
Rarely have I experienced love and friendship in such a beautiful and fulfilling environment, which I treasure to this day. And my stay became a crash course in French at the same time – Merci beaucoup, au revoir et à bientôt, j’espère.