DIGITAL MARRAKECH FESTIVAL – MOROCCO International media arts and digital cinema Festival
An “Arab Media Lab project” initiative
International Video Art Festival, Marrakech – Morocco
From 5 April to 7 May 2013
Curated by: Abdelaziz Taleb & Abdellatif Benfaidoul
Directors of ARAB MEDIA LAB PROJECT and DIGITAL MARRAKECH FESTIVAL
“Is this only a generation trend? Or has there been a profound change in perspective among contemporary Arab artists in the Arab world? Without claiming to be the new avant-garde, without clear cut attitude, young Arab filmmakers, video and media art artists are exploring paths of subjective expression with a fragile and anxious freedom. They are carving out a new path in their fragile and shifting societies… Since the 1990s, video creation in Arab countries has witnessed constant growth and renewal. The specific political and social conditions of these communities, their deeply-rooted narrative and poetic traditions (written and oral), as well as a decisive presence of music and ritual have all allowed these
works to encompass a very wide-ranging field of experimentation and reflection in which a fascination with technology is mixed with a sense of poetry and rhythm, the use of silence, and the ability to speak to us directly or metaphorically of their individual or communal realities. Inside all these realities ARAB MEDIA LAB PROJECT has initiated DIGITAL MARRAKECH FESTIVAL in order to explore current Arab happenings and at the same time a window for interdisciplinary collaborations and exchange…”
Abdelaziz Taleb & Abdellatif Benfaidoul.
Video selection
Inner Marrakech, 5:00, 2012, Simo Ezoubeiri, Morocco
Beirut, the moon has a secret” 6:30, 2010 Mariam Agha, Lebanon
Planet of the Arabs, Jackie Salloum, 9:00, 2005, Palestine
Death of a Boxer, 14:00 ,2010, Naji Abu Nowar, Jordan
Portrait of Khmissa ( Water ), 9:00, 2009, Michelle Medina, Morocco
ABOUT DIGITAL MARRAKECH, an international media arts and digital festival, which aims to present diverse trends and practices in the fields of digital film & video, multimedia performances, Video installations, digital mapping, net art, workshops and other interdisciplinary forms.
The festival program consists of live video performances, film screenings, workshops, lectures, and exhibition. In the festival framework artists from all over the world present latest practices, research and technologies and showcase important achievements in the development of media arts practices. It is also a platform for local artists to present their work to a much larger public and to critic reviews. The festival plays a major role in expanding the opportunities for local talented film, video and interactive media artists, and offers the best of them the opportunity to produce a new works by offering two weeks master classes under the supervision of Media Arts professionals.
ABOUT DIGITAL MARRAKECH, an international media arts and digital festival, which aims to present diverse trends and practices in the fields of digital film & video, multimedia performances, Video installations, digital mapping, net art, workshops and other interdisciplinary forms.
The festival program consists of live video performances, film screenings, workshops, lectures, and exhibition. In the festival framework artists from all over the world present latest practices, research and technologies and showcase important achievements in the development of media arts practices. It is also a platform for local artists to present their work to a much larger public and to critic reviews. The festival plays a major role in expanding the opportunities for local talented film, video and interactive media artists, and offers the best of them the opportunity to produce a new works by offering two weeks master classes under the supervision of Media Arts professionals.
ARAB MEDIA LAB PROJECT is the first media arts platform of its kind in Morocco and the Arab world, which establishes a social attitude to the new media and encourages media art experimentation and Digital cinema. This platform provides possibilities to produce, show and exhibit media art works. It also offers a free access to equipment, technology and professional assistance.
Arab media lab presents the works of contemporary artists from the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporas to a wide audience in order to foster a more complex understanding of the regions’ arts and cultures and to encourage artistic excellence. Through public events, exhibitions, film screenings, a dynamic virtual gallery and a resource-rich website, AML supports artists and filmmakers by providing the platforms necessary for them to showcase groundbreaking and significant work. We also give the public the
opportunity to learn more about and develop an appreciation for the talent of these established and emerging artists.
The space offers possibilities of work production, from digital experimentations to digital independent filmmaking. It is also a space for international exchange through art residencies, seminars, expertise and work flow exchange.