Overview
The Casablanca Arab Film Festival is an annual competitive festival dedicated to Arab cinema, held at Cinema Ritz in Casablanca, Morocco. The 6th edition ran June 13 to 20, 2025, presenting 31 competing films from 13 Arab countries across feature and short categories. The 7th edition is scheduled for July 17 to 24, 2026, with the submission deadline extended to May 15, 2026.
The festival is organized by the Imtidad Association for Culture and Development, in partnership with the Casablanca City Council and the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM). The festival president is Fatima Nouali Azar. The venue is Cinema Ritz in central Casablanca.
For Arab filmmakers, the festival provides a competitive platform in North Africa's largest economic hub. The selection criteria require films to have their Moroccan premiere at the festival. The 6th edition featured 12 feature-length films (fiction and documentary) and 19 short films (fiction and documentary) in competition, judged by separate juries.
The 6th edition paid tribute to Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy and Moroccan artist Younes Megri, recognizing their contributions to Arab cinema. Past editions have welcomed figures including Hussein Fahmy, Ayman Zeidan, Hussein Dawood, Khayri Beshara, Fady Abi Samra, and the late Ridha Behi.
Submission Details
The festival accepts open submissions for short films and feature films in all genres from the Arab world and beyond. Submissions are made through the festival website.
7th edition (2026) key dates:
- Submission deadline: May 15, 2026 (extended from original date)
- Festival dates: July 17 to 24, 2026
- Venue: Casablanca, Morocco
6th edition (2025) reference:
- Festival dates: June 13 to 20, 2025
- Competition films: 31 (12 features, 19 shorts) from 13 Arab countries
Eligibility requirements:
- Films must be from Arab countries or by Arab filmmakers
- Films must have their Moroccan premiere at the festival (selection criterion)
- Both fiction and documentary films are accepted
- Both short and feature-length films are accepted
- All genres are accepted
The festival has not published specific submission fees. Filmmakers should check the official submission page for current fee information and requirements.
Key Sections
- Feature Film Competition (Fiction and Documentary) - 12 feature-length films from 13 Arab countries competing for jury prizes. The 6th edition jury was headed by Moroccan director and producer Nabil Ayouch, with Tunisian critic Henda Haouala, Egyptian actor Bassem Samra, Iraqi director Ahmed Yassin Al-Daraji, and Moroccan actress Nisrin Erradi.
- Short Film Competition (Fiction and Documentary) - 19 short films in competition. The 6th edition jury was headed by Moroccan director and writer Hicham Lasri, with Egyptian actress Shery Adel and Jordanian director Darin Sallam.
- Panorama of Moroccan and Arab Films - non-competitive screenings of recent Moroccan and Arab cinema
- Screenwriting Workshop - led by Egyptian screenwriter Mohamed Abdel Khalek at the 6th edition
- Directing Workshop - led by Moroccan artist Abdellah Chakiri at the 6th edition
- Cinema Conference - academic and industry discussions on Arab cinema
- Masterclass - with honored guests (Ahmed Helmy and Younes Megri at the 6th edition)
- Tributes - career honors for figures in Arab cinema
Past Winners
The 7th edition (2026) awarded its Grand Prize to Complaint No. 713317, directed by Yasser Shafiei (Egypt). Mahmoud Hemida won Best Actor for the same film. The Special Jury Prize went to Flana by Iraqi director Zahrae Ghandour.
The 6th edition (2025) gave its Grand Prize to Thank You for Banking With Us!, directed by Laila Abbas (Palestine and Germany). Clara Khoury won Best Actress for her role in the film. The jury gave a Special Mention to Sudan, Remember Us by Hind Meddeb.
The 5th edition (2024) awarded its Grand Prize to The Burdened, directed by Amr Gamal (Yemen). Saleh Bakri won Best Actor for The Teacher, directed by Farah Nabulsi. The Burdened was the first Yemeni feature film screened at Berlinale.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
The Casablanca Arab Film Festival requires a Moroccan premiere, not a world premiere. Most winning films arrive after premiering at major international festivals. The Burdened premiered at Berlinale 2023 before winning the Casablanca Grand Prize in 2024. It later won the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Thank You for Banking With Us! premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2024. After winning the Casablanca Grand Prize, it also won the Golden Star at El Gouna and Best Director at Thessaloniki. The Teacher premiered at TIFF 2023 and won the Jury Prize at the Red Sea Film Festival.
The festival functions as a regional premiere platform rather than a discovery festival. Films that win here have typically already launched at Berlin, London, Toronto, or Venice. The Casablanca prize adds Arab-world recognition to films with established international profiles.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The Moroccan premiere requirement is the single most important factor. Plan your festival circuit so that no Moroccan screening precedes your Casablanca submission. If you screen in Morocco before this festival, you lose eligibility.
The jury responds strongly to films addressing social and political realities in the Arab world. Recent winners dealt with inheritance law in Palestine, civil war in Yemen, and military repression in Sudan. Films from underrepresented Arab cinemas, including Yemen, Iraq, and Sudan, have performed well in competition.
Both fiction and documentary films compete in the same feature category. The festival does not separate fiction from documentary for its Grand Prize. If your documentary has strong narrative structure and social relevance, it competes on equal footing with fiction features.
Submit through the official festival website rather than third-party platforms. The festival has not published submission fees. Contact organizers directly for current fee information. The 7th edition deadline is May 15, 2026.
Industry Reputation Notes
The Casablanca Arab Film Festival occupies a distinct niche in the Arab festival landscape. Marrakech International Film Festival programs international cinema with Arab and Moroccan sidebars. Casablanca centers Arab cinema as its main competition, not a sidebar.
Compared to El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt, Casablanca has fewer resources and no formal market. El Gouna offers larger cash prizes and attracts more international industry buyers. Casablanca compensates with a focused Arab-only competition and credible jury heads like Nabil Ayouch and Rachid Masharawi.
The festival president has publicly acknowledged limited financial resources. Despite this, the festival has attracted jury members from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine across 7 editions. Industry professionals attend for Arab cinema networking rather than acquisition deals.
The festival is not FIAPF-accredited and does not qualify for Academy Awards. Its industry value comes from regional visibility and connection to the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre. For Arab filmmakers, it offers a competitive platform in North Africa's largest economic hub.
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What Filmmakers Should Know
For Arab Filmmakers
The Casablanca Arab Film Festival is one of the few competitive festivals dedicated exclusively to Arab cinema. The Moroccan premiere requirement means filmmakers should plan their festival circuit to avoid screening in Morocco before this festival. The competition is open to both fiction and documentary films in feature and short formats.
The festival's partnership with the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM) gives it institutional backing within Morocco's film infrastructure. The CCM is Morocco's national film body, responsible for production support, distribution regulation, and film classification.
For Moroccan Filmmakers
The festival provides a domestic platform alongside the Marrakech International Film Festival. While Marrakech focuses on international cinema with Arab and Moroccan sidebars, the Casablanca Arab Film Festival centers Arab cinema as its main competition. This makes it a more targeted platform for Moroccan and Arab filmmakers seeking recognition within the regional industry.
Practical Considerations
Casablanca is Morocco's largest city and economic capital, with direct flights from major European, African, and Middle Eastern cities. Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) is approximately 30 kilometers from the city center. The festival venue, Cinema Ritz, is in central Casablanca.
The festival does not have an attached film market. Its industry value comes from the competition exposure, the workshops, and the networking with Arab cinema professionals who attend as jury members, honorees, and workshop leaders. The 6th edition jury included filmmakers from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, representing a broad cross-section of Arab cinema.
The festival is not an Academy Award qualifying festival. It does not have FIAPF accreditation. Its competitive categories are focused on Arab cinema rather than international cinema.
Workshops and Training
The 6th edition included a screenwriting workshop led by Egyptian screenwriter Mohamed Abdel Khalek and a directing workshop led by Moroccan artist Abdellah Chakiri. These workshops are designed for emerging filmmakers and are part of the festival's commitment to professional development in Arab cinema. The festival also hosted a conference on cinema and a masterclass with the honored guests.
Major Awards
The festival presents jury prizes in two competition categories:
- Feature Film Competition (Fiction and Documentary) - jury prizes for the best feature-length films, judged by a 5-member jury headed by Nabil Ayouch (6th edition)
- Short Film Competition (Fiction and Documentary) - jury prizes for the best short films, judged by a 3-member jury headed by Hicham Lasri (6th edition)
Specific award names and cash prize amounts have not been publicly detailed. The festival's organizational materials indicate that prizes are awarded in both categories, but the exact structure and amounts are not published on the festival website. Filmmakers should contact the organizers directly for current prize information.
Festival History
The Casablanca Arab Film Festival was established by the Imtidad Association for Culture and Development, in partnership with the Casablanca City Council and the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM). The festival has run 6 editions through 2025, with the 7th edition scheduled for July 2026.
The festival was founded to fill a gap in Casablanca's cultural landscape: while the Marrakech International Film Festival (founded 2001) focuses on international cinema with Moroccan and Arab sidebars, Casablanca lacked a dedicated Arab cinema competition. The Casablanca Arab Film Festival was created to serve this specific niche, presenting Arab cinema as its core program rather than a sidebar.
Over its first 6 editions, the festival has attracted figures from across Arab cinema, including Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy, Syrian actor Ayman Zeidan, Kuwaiti director Hussein Dawood, Egyptian director Khayri Beshara, Lebanese actor Fady Abi Samra, and the late Tunisian director Ridha Behi. The 6th edition honored Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy and Moroccan artist Younes Megri.
The 7th edition was originally scheduled for an earlier date in 2026 but was postponed to July 17 to 24, 2026, due to travel challenges affecting participants' ability to attend. The submission deadline was extended to May 15, 2026, giving filmmakers additional time to complete and submit their entries.
The festival operates alongside the separate Casablanca International Film Festival, a smaller event organized by the Association Leadership for Cultures in Anfa, which held its 13th edition in January 2026 with a focus on cultural diplomacy and Moroccan cinema.
See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For the Marrakech International Film Festival, Morocco's FIAPF-accredited international festival, see Marrakech International Film Festival. For African cinema markets and distribution, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning and premiere strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Submit through the official festival website.
