Moroccan director Zineb Wakrim’s short film Moon wins at Cannes’ La Cinef

Eslam Omar , Saturday 27 May 2023

Ayyur (Moon), a short film by Moroccan Zineb Wakrim, won the third prize of the 2023 La Cinef held as part of the ongoing 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Zineb Wakrim film Moon
Moroccan director Zineb Wakrim posted this photo on Facebook in April showing the poster of her short film Ayyur ( Moon ) that eventually won at Cannes La Cinef

 

The prize was unveiled on Thursday during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theater that was followed by the screening of the winning films.

The Short Films and La Cinef Jury was presided over by Ildikó Enyedi and comprised Ana Lily Amirpour, Shlomi Elkabetz, Charlotte Le Bon and Karidja Touré.

The La Cinef competition consisted of 16 student films from 13 countries, chosen from 2,000 entries from 476 film schools worldwide.

Norwegian Offspring, directed by Marlene Emilie Lyngstad, won the first prize (€15,000), while Hwang Hyein’s Hole won the second prize (€11,250). The third prize is €7,500.

Moon is a 13-minute film that tells the story of 14-year-old Hasna and Samad, who find a way to find light in the middle of the darkness in art and painting.

The film cast includes cinematographer Amine Berrada, editor Pierre Bael and sound designers Mehdi Mahmoudi and Mehdi Jaouari.

The cast combines Samad Ait Sarih (Samad), Hasna Haddad (Hasna), Salah Haddad (Salah) and Hasssan Ait Sarih (Hassan).

Arab cinema is making a significant impact at the ongoing 76th edition of the prestigious French festival, which wraps up on Saturday. Several Arab films have gained widespread attention, including; Jordanian Inshallah Walad, Sudanese Goodbye Julia and Tunisian Four Daughters, as well as Egyptian Short Eissa, or I promise You Paradise, among other films.

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