Quick Read
- The 26th FICAK festival concluded in Khouribga, Morocco.
- Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania won the Grand Prix for ‘La Voix de Hind Rajab’.
- Awards were distributed across multiple categories including directing, acting, and screenplay.
The 26th International African Film Festival of Khouribga (FICAK) concluded on Saturday night in Morocco, awarding the prestigious “Ousmane Sembene” Grand Prix to the Tunisian feature La Voix de Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania.
The festival, held under the theme “Between streaming and dreaming: the African dilemma,” showcased a diverse range of regional cinema. While Ben Hania’s work claimed the top prize, the jury distributed honors across several North and Sub-Saharan African nations. The “Nourredine Saïl” Jury Prize was awarded to the Egyptian film The Settlement by Mohamed Rashad, and the “Idrissa Ouédraogo” award for best direction went to Morocco’s Ali Benjelloun for Goundafa, the Cursed Song.
Individual performance awards were also announced: Michelle Lemuya Ikeny received the prize for best female role in Nawi dear future me, while Younes Bouab was recognized for best male role in L’Héritier des secrets. The screenplay prize, named after Samir Farid, was given to Nicolas Sawolo Cissé for La mémoire du manguier.
The festival’s short-film competition also saw significant recognition, with the “Najib Ayed” Grand Prix going to the Moroccan film Another End by Tarik Rasmi, and the “Paulin Soumanou Vieyra” jury prize awarded to Mauritanian filmmaker Boubecrine Ibrahim El Mamy for Anima. The closing ceremony additionally featured a posthumous tribute to Cameroonian director Bassek Ba Kobhio, the founder of Écrans Noirs. Organizers have not yet released a detailed statement regarding the specific criteria behind the jury’s selection of the winning feature.