The Al Akhawayn Short Film Festival (ASFF) made its debut in 2015 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. Sponsored by the School of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities, The festival organizes many cultural and creative events with the short film competition at the heart of every edition. High school and university students participate with their films in three categories: documentary, fiction, and/or one-minute film. Through its 7 editions, the festival has welcomed renowned directors as jury members, including Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, Sofia Alaoui, Sonia Okacha, Hicham Lasri, Laila Marrakchi, Sonia Terrab, Adil El Fadili, Kamal Hachkar, Abderrahman Tazi, and Meriem Benm’barek among many others. In addition to the short film competition, participants have the opportunity to attend screenings of award-winning films, workshops on film production, creative master classes, and round table discussions on themes and topics related to the challenges faced by young people emerging in the audiovisual world. The festival provides a lifetime opportunity for young filmmakers to meet and make connections with professional directors and producers, and above all, students get the chance to showcase their creativity, and share their cinematography with other professionals and students from different schools.
Having become a platform for young filmmakers and creators, the festival is covered by a range of national media outlets, such as Medi1, Al Aoula, 2M TV / Radio, HibaPress and many more. With a strong social media presence, the festival is getting popular with each edition, gaining more attention from many sides especially from cinema schools and universities in Morocco.
Now entering its 8th Edition, the festival continues to serve as a national platform for emerging filmmakers, encouraging young creatives to experiment, learn, and connect with professionals across Morocco’s expanding audiovisual industry.
With a start-up spirit, ASFF offers young creators the opportunity to meet their mentors and film angels, that is, recognized professionals in the audiovisual industry, so that they can guide aspiring filmmakers toward a more secure future. We believe in the power of storytelling, which explores identity and societal issues within the incubator of knowledge and training that is the school.
ASFF is an in-person student short film festival hosted at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, with all screenings, workshops, major events held on campus, at AUI.
The festival features:
> Official Short Film Competition with screenings, jury deliberation, and an awards ceremony.
> Renowned Jury & Industry Guests who participate in panel discussions, Q&As, and workshops.
> Workshops led by filmmakers, producers, actors, and industry professionals.
> Screenings including curated sessions tied to the edition’s theme
> Networking opportunities, connecting students to the national film ecosystem.
> A new mentorship opportunity never seen at ASFF before - More details coming soon ;)
A distinguished jury of film professionals and artists will grant The Azel Award to the best student film at ASFF 8!
