Morocco: Roots Rabat comes to congratulate, honor and celebrate other film festivals ( promoter Marwane Fachane)

Rabat, March 18, 2023 (AIB)-The 1st edition of Roots Rabat-Festival du Cinéma Panafricain ended Thursday evening in Rabat after five days of intense activities. At the time of the assessment, the promoter and general manager of the Hiba Foundation, Marwane Fachane expressed his satisfaction at the microphone of the AIB. For him, this new cinema meeting honors and celebrates his elders. Interview…

Burkina News Agency (AIB): What motivated the organization of Roots Rabat-Journées du Cinéma Panafricain?

The Director General of the Hiba Foundation, Marwane Fachane: Roots Rabat-Days of Pan-African Cinema was created within the framework of Rabat, African Capital of Culture. A cinematographic element was missing from this celebration and Roots Rabat comes precisely to meet a need for professional meetings, networking, construction of South-South pan-African synergies.

AIB: What was the contribution of the national authorities to the organization of Roots Rabat?

This event was sponsored by the Hiba Foundation but with a partnership from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, which I thank. The opening ceremony was made in the presence of the minister in person. It is our main partner and bearer of this event today. The contribution of the authorities was remarkable in terms of security, in terms of financial and technical support and in terms of the organization of this event.

What is the most that Roots Rabat brings to the already existing Film Festivals, in particular the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO)?

Film Festivals are festivals that award prizes, we are not in this logic, at least not for this edition. The advantage of Roots Rabat, like the guests themselves, has noticed it, is to create a space on a human scale for discussions, debates, meetings, round tables, training workshops and master classes. The size of the event was its biggest asset.

On a human scale, a hundred people were present each time at the different components of Roots Rabat and moreover, this event comes to congratulate, honor, celebrate the other festivals by bringing them a link in the value chain that was missing, it is that is to say professional meetings that allow networking, real work spaces apart and a guarantee of exchanges and cooperation.

What will be the future relationship between Roots Rabat-Days of Pan-African Cinema and FESPACO?

The relationship with FESPACO is already intrinsically established because many of the films that we have programmed, we have selected them from what we have seen at FESPACO by attending it this year.

We also met many speakers from Roots Rabat during FESPACO. It is true that we did not sign any partnership but in fact, Roots Rabat complements events such as FESPACO and the International Festival of African Cinema in Khouribga in Morocco and all the other Festivals in Morocco and elsewhere.

What overall assessment can you make of this 1st edition of Roots Rabat-Days of Pan-African Cinema?

A very positive assessment with in particular many projects that can be quickly implemented over the next few months which will make it possible to concretize the visions and ambitions of several actors of the Pan-African cinema. This Festival has allowed many producers and directors to meet at Roots Rabat and have working sessions and discussions.

The Moroccan public and cinema professionals did not have access to the pan-African network and today this is within reach and it is Roots Rabat who made this possible. It is a meeting and networking platform.

A last message to all your guests?

I thank them for their presence at the invitation. I thank them for their commitment and presence at all the round tables, workshops and intense and serious participation in this event and I welcome them, already, to the 2024 edition, for which we will very soon begin preparations.

Source: Burkina Information Agency