‘Hijra’ and Hind Bensari’s documentary win top prizes in Salé

The 19th Salé International Women’s Film Festival in Morocco, held from 28 September to 3 October, has crowned Shahad Ameen’s Hijra its best fiction feature. The film took the Grand Prix and also won the best actress award, shared by its stars Khayriya Nazmi and Lamar Faden, according to the festival’s official results.

In the documentary competition, Moroccan director Hind Bensari won the Grand Prix for La Cour des grands, with a special mention for Camille Varenne’s Wolobougou.

The rest of the winners

Maryam Touzani’s Calle Málaga took the special jury prize. Lila Pinell’s Shana won best first film, and Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love got a special mention. Patrick Hivon was named best actor for Amour apocalypse, directed by Anne Émond.

In the Moroccan selection, young audiences picked Alaa Akaaboune’s 2 RWAH as their favourite feature and Fatima Zahra Oubaha’s Tatouage de Bezza as best short. Zineb Zidane’s Cette Baraka Qu’on Appelle Grand-Mère received a special mention, and the parity award went to Rachida Saadi, producer and director of Quitte ou Double.

The festival is organised by the Bouregreg Association under the patronage of King Mohammed VI.