The 19th edition of the festival highlighted women’s contributions to cinema, explored challenges facing female filmmakers and recognised outstanding films from Morocco and beyond.
Morocco’s Salé International Women’s Film Festival has once again put women’s stories and creative achievements in the spotlight, bringing filmmakers and cinema professionals together for screenings, discussions and awards.
The festival’s 19th edition ran from September 28 to October 3, 2026, in the coastal city of Salé. It featured fiction films, documentaries, professional meetings and cultural activities, continuing a tradition of promoting women’s roles in the film industry that began more than two decades ago.
This year’s programme examined the opportunities available to women in cinema, including access to funding, professional roles and the ability to tell stories from their own perspectives. Moroccan actress Bouchra Ahrich said the festival supported women’s causes through both the films screened and the women participating in the event.
A notable change in this year’s edition was the introduction of Arabic subtitles for films screened at the festival, helping more local audiences follow the stories presented.
Films receive top honours
Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Hijra won the festival’s Grand Prize in the fiction feature competition. Its lead performers, Khayriya Nazmi and Lamar Faden, also shared the award for best female performance.
Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s documentary La Cour des grands received the Grand Prize in the documentary category. Meanwhile, Calle Málaga, directed by Maryam Touzani, won the Special Jury Prize, while Lila Pinell’s Shana received the award for best first feature.
The festival also honoured Moroccan filmmaker Mohammed Abderrahman Tazi, making him the first male director to receive a trophy from the event. His recognition highlighted the role of dialogue between male and female filmmakers in shaping how women’s experiences are represented on screen.
A platform for African storytelling
Beyond the awards, the Salé festival offers filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work, exchange ideas and identify films that could reach audiences at other international and African festivals.
For African cinema, platforms that support women filmmakers can help widen representation, strengthen creative networks and bring more diverse stories to the screen. The Salé festival continues to contribute to these conversations by combining film competitions with professional engagement and cultural exchange.
TNAM
