International documentary festival launched in Morocco

The fourth edition of the International Festival of Documentary Films in the Moroccan The fourth edition of the International Festival of Documentary Films in the Moroccan city of Okrepky, known as the "capital of Fustat",  has kicked off and is due to end pn September 1. Twelve films and documentaries in all will compete, with a special focus on Turkish cinema at the festival.
“Marmara  That el Neran” ( Marmara Under Fire), is one of the Turkish entrants by director David Sekara.
The 12 finalists, including seven Arab documentaries, were chosen from a list of 74 initial entries.
The Arab entries in the festival include “Lahazat Qabl El Tafgeer” (Moments Before The Bombing), directed by Atef Issa from Palestine, “Al Hasan” (The Fortress) by Faisal Al-Otaibi from Saudi Arabia, “Qolee ya Halwa” (Tell My Sweet) by Mohammed Janahi from Bahrain, “Saydit El Meedan” (Lady Of The Field) by Adel El Gamal from Egypt, and “Nahno Hona” (We Are Here) by Abdullah Yahia from Tunisia. Two Moroccan films also made the final list: “Safhat Mansya” (Forgotten Pages) by Ahmed Zayed, and “Al Aqsa Yaskon al Aksa”  (Al Aqsa lives in Al Aqsa) by Abdul Rahman Lawan, also involved the film “Nasaa Yarfdn El Moot” (Women refuse to Death) by Muhammad Qenawi  who is Italian of Arab origin.
The movie "Al Hasan" (Fortress) by Saudi Arabian director Faisal Al-Otaibi, revolves around the Fifa Mountains, and documents the way of life of its inhabitants.
The  15-minute feature earlier won third prize for documentary films in the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai.
The film also entered the Arab Film Festival in Malmo, and participated in Saudi Film Festival. The director seeks to prepare a new version of “Al Hasan” (the fortress) and will release in a number of international festivals.
The jury is headed by Jawdat Abdullah from Kuwait, and includes the producer and director of Al Jazeera news, Rowan El Damn from Qatar. Other panelists include the director and organiser of documentary workshops Helmy Aatkan from Turkey, director Faik Jaradah from Palestine, and Moroccan cinematographer Abdullah Abu Awwadflam.