logo
Irish Film Festival Returns to Rabat with Stories by Women Filmmakers

Irish Film Festival Returns to Rabat with Stories by Women Filmmakers

Morocco World12-05-2025
Rabat – The Embassy of Ireland in Rabat has announced the return of the Irish Film Festival for its second edition. The event will take place from May 19 to 21 at Cinéma Renaissance in Rabat and is organized in partnership with Fondation Hiba.
The festival features three Irish films, all made by Irish women filmmakers.
'This year's festival showcases a captivating selection of Irish films, featuring a heartfelt drama, lyrical storytelling, and an inspiring documentary, all directed, written or produced by Irish women filmmakers,' the embassy said in a press statement.
The festival will give Moroccan audiences a chance to discover Ireland through cinema. The embassy noted that all films will have French subtitles to make them accessible to a wider audience.
The festival will kick off on May 19 with 'Róise & Frank,' a 2022 warm and funny Irish-language drama about hope, healing, and the deep bond between people and animals.
The second day will feature 'That They May Face the Rising Sun,' a 2023 quiet and emotional story set in rural Ireland, based on the famous novel by John McGahern.
The last day of the festival will feature 'Mrs. Robinson', a powerful documentary about Mary Robinson, Ireland's first female president and a leader in politics and women's rights.
The Irish Film Festival is part of a series of cultural events planned to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Morocco.
The embassy noted that entry is free for all screenings, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. local time throughout the three days. Tags: Film FestivalIreland
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

HACA Dismisses Complaints Over ElGrandeToto's Concert Broadcast on 2M
HACA Dismisses Complaints Over ElGrandeToto's Concert Broadcast on 2M

Morocco World

timea day ago

  • Morocco World

HACA Dismisses Complaints Over ElGrandeToto's Concert Broadcast on 2M

Marrakech – The High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has dismissed over 190 complaints regarding the broadcast of Moroccan rapper ElGrandeToto's concert on 2M television channel. Announced on Wednesday, the decision follows deliberations by the Supreme Council for Audiovisual Communication during its meeting on July 17. The complaints, received between July 2 and 7, claimed that the concert contained expressions and scenes that violated public morals and could negatively influence young viewers. Despite dismissing these complaints, HACA determined that 2M 'did not ensure an appropriate broadcast context,' particularly regarding insufficient use of content warnings, even though the concert aired after 11:05 p.m. In its decision, HACA stated that its institutional role is to ensure audiovisual media content, especially from public service broadcasters, complies with relevant laws and respects democratic values and fundamental rights of all audience categories. 'In Morocco's independent regulatory model based on freedom of expression, the regulatory authority does not have the mission to censor artistic creation and expression, nor does it interfere in the editorial choices of broadcasters regarding the content they broadcast,' the decision explained. HACA clearly established that evaluating the quality of artistic works, particularly musical ones, and authorizing their broadcast in public space are not within its jurisdiction. Instead, the authority declared that public audiovisual media services have a duty of inclusion and interaction with all audience categories, including consideration of cultural practices and forms of expression specific to younger generations. The regulatory body pointed out that for certain content, including musical and dramatic works, public service broadcasters should ensure an appropriate broadcast context through the use of content ratings and consideration of the target audience. According to the decision, based on the principle of proportionality in media regulation, 'imposing censorship on an artist or stigmatizing their audience is not acceptable.' Instead, audiovisual providers should strengthen measures specified in their terms of reference to balance freedom of expression, cultural diversity, and audience protection. A Moroccan rapper with global reach ElGrandeToto, whose real name is Taha Hafsi, performed at the closing concert of the 20th edition of the Mawazine Festival – World Rhythms. His performance captivated an estimated audience of 400,000 people, mostly young fans. Now in his thirties, the rapper has achieved remarkable success both in his home country and internationally. He has performed at venues like the Olympia and Zenith in Paris, and earned platinum and diamond records for musical collaborations in France. ElGrandeToto boasts over 3.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, reflecting his widespread popularity. HACA's decision has sparked mixed reactions. Hassan Hamourou, one of the complainants and a member of the national council of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), condemned the dismissal of the complaints, claiming it 'encourages 2M to continue broadcasting content that threatens values shared by Moroccans through a media funded by public money.' He further argued that HACA 'covers the excesses of the channel and its manifest non-compliance with the specifications,' and should have imposed sanctions rather than 'theorizing about freedom of expression and art.' Media outlets have characterized this ruling as a courageous decision that may establish a precedent for balancing artistic freedom with public service broadcasting responsibilities in Morocco's media landscape. Tags: 2MTVElgrande totoHACA

Hakim Ziyech Trains with Afrobeat Artist Amid Club Uncertainty
Hakim Ziyech Trains with Afrobeat Artist Amid Club Uncertainty

Morocco World

timea day ago

  • Morocco World

Hakim Ziyech Trains with Afrobeat Artist Amid Club Uncertainty

Free agent Hakim Ziyech has been spotted training with Ghanaian musician King Promise, as the Moroccan international looks to maintain fitness and revive his career ahead of the 2025 AFCON. Ziyech, 32, joined the award-winning artist for a street run, with the two seen jogging and walking together in a video that quickly went viral on social media. King Promise later posted a light-hearted caption in Pidgin, joking: 'He nearly tear my heart.' The former Chelsea and Ajax winger is currently without a club after a disappointing stint at Al-Duhail in Qatar. With just one goal and two assists in 24 appearances last season, Ziyech parted ways with the club in May. Despite links to moves in Turkey and Brazil, no deal has materialised. A return to the Gulf remains under consideration. Ziyech is targeting a return to Morocco's national team in time for AFCON 2025, but needs regular minutes to make the squad. Tags: AfrobeatAl DuhailChelseaGalatasarayGhanaHakim Ziyech

Maryam Touzani's Calle Malaga debuts at Venice and Toronto film festivals
Maryam Touzani's Calle Malaga debuts at Venice and Toronto film festivals

Ya Biladi

time2 days ago

  • Ya Biladi

Maryam Touzani's Calle Malaga debuts at Venice and Toronto film festivals

Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani's latest feature, Calle Malaga, has been selected for two of the world's leading film festivals: Venice, where it will screen in the Spotlight section, and Toronto, where it will appear as part of the Special Presentations lineup. The film stars legendary Spanish actress Carmen Maura and is set for international theatrical release in March 2026. Shot in Morocco and performed entirely in Spanish, Calle Malaga will make its world debut on the festival circuit this fall. The story follows Maria Angeles (Maura), a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in Tangier. Her quiet life is disrupted when her daughter, Clara (played by Marta Etura), travels to Madrid to sell the apartment Maria once called home. Determined not to let go of her past, Maria sets off on a deeply personal journey to reclaim her belongings and, along the way, rediscovers love and longing in the final chapter of her life. The film explores themes of memory, attachment to place, and the right to love in old age. «With the subtlety and emotional depth that have made her a towering figure in Spanish cinema, Carmen Maura brings Maria to life with moving humanity, balancing fragility and strength in a richly layered performance», a press release notes. Touzani's selection at both Venice and Toronto underscores her growing international profile. Her previous films, Adam (Cannes 2019 – Un Certain Regard) and The Blue Caftan (Cannes 2022 – Un Certain Regard), received wide acclaim. The latter became the most internationally successful Moroccan film to date, earning a spot on the Oscars shortlist for Best International Feature and collecting over 60 awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store