FICAM kicks off with a rich program, tributes, and various screenings

The 21 edition of the Moroccan festival of Animated Cinema, “FICAM,” had a great start with a diverse program, rich exchange between international and national animation movie makers, and hundreds of kids watching the latest movies in open spaces or cinema theaters.

In this edition, Sofia El Khyari, a young Moroccan director born in Casablanca in 1992, was the subject of a brand-new exhibition at FICAM.

In Paris, while she studied cultural management, Sofia acquired some animation skills, and later earned a Master’s in animation at London’s renowned Royal College of Art.

At this one-of-a-kind exhibition, El Khyari showed original drawings from her short films, including “The Shadow of the Butterflies”, her most recent watercolor film that was chosen for Locarno and Toronto festivals.

This film is participating in FICAM’s “Court’s Compet” competition; therefore it will be screened before jury members and the public.

The special exhibition dives back into the journey of this talented director, inviting people to learn more about the making of “Ayam” and its production process, which featured the late Amina Rachid’s voice.

This 21st edition of FICAM is implementing an exclusive training method in Morocco, by modernizing animation film modules with the goal of showcasing new Moroccan talents.

Throughout the festival, Scenario, StoryBoard, Character Design, 2D Animation, and FX Animation classes were and are all still the focus of the animation film industry worship presented in favor of several students and professionals.

More than 100 students from Moroccan art and audiovisual schools were welcomed to the festival, where they benefited from the expertise of the world of animation’s biggest names.

During the opening ceremony, the Grand Price Aïcha of Animation was awarded to the young Moroccan animator Mohamed Samsseme, represented by his mother who received a check for MAD 50.000 for his film “What is happening?”.

The ceremony was also marked by a tribute to Kristof Serrand, an animator, and supervisor at Netflix, one of the greatest personalities of international animation cinema.