Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, best known for “The Secret Agent,” will be the patron – serving as a mentor to the filmmakers – of the 9th edition of the Atlas Workshops, the Marrakech Film Festival’s professional platform dedicated to the development of Moroccan, Arab and African cinema, which takes place from Nov. 22 to 26.
Mendonça Filho made his mark on the international scene with “Neighboring Sounds” (2012), “Aquarius” (2016) and “Bacurau on the Map” (2019), which won the Jury Prize at Cannes. His most recent film, “The Secret Agent” (2025), won the award for best director at Cannes before going on to win two Golden Globes and receive four Academy Award nominations this year.
Mendonça Filho said, “Listening to new ideas and understanding the aspirations of new generations of filmmakers is a source of inspiration for my own work.
“And all of this in Marrakech, such a fascinating city, which hosts such an exceptional film festival. Last year, during my Conversation at the festival, I was asked whether I had ever planned to shoot a film in this city. Serving as the patron of the Atlas Workshops makes me feel as though I’m witnessing, right before my eyes, the birth of new films.”
Selected from among 320 projects in development and 90 films in production or post-production, this edition’s 30 projects and films fall into three categories: 14 projects in development, 11 films in production or post-production, and five projects in the Atlas Close-Ups section, which is dedicated to Moroccan cinema.
The 14 countries that are represented are Algeria, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia.
The selection of projects in development includes 12 fiction films and two documentaries, of which six are debut feature-length films.
Several of the projects are headed by filmmakers who have already won attention with their previous films: Amjad Abu Alala (“You Will Die at Twenty”), Laila Abbas (“Thank You for Banking With Us”), Meryem Benm’Barek (“Sofia,” “Behind the Palm Trees”), Sofia Alaoui (“Animalia”) and Yasmine Benkiran (“Queens”).
Of the 11 films in production or post-production—including five debut feature-length films—four received development support from the Atlas Workshops: Samuel Ishimwe’s “Seasons of the Weary Kind” (Rwanda), selected in 2019; Alaa Eddine Aljem’s “Eldorado” (Morocco), selected in 2020; Yoro Mbaye’s “Fagadaga” (Senegal), selected in 2022; and Ismaël El Iraki’s “Wolfmother” (Morocco), selected in 2023.
The Atlas Close-Ups program features five Moroccan projects, including four fiction films and one documentary.
Atlas Station: A selection of producers and short films in post-production from Morocco
Conceived to support young Moroccan professionals, this year’s Atlas Station welcomes eight filmmakers selected from among 30 applicants. In meetings and exchanges with international professionals, these four women and four men will participate in a professional development program focused on various aspects of film production.
The program also provides support for five Moroccan short films in post-production—four fiction and one documentary—selected from among 24 submissions. The selected filmmaking teams will receive support tailored to the needs of their film, particularly in terms of final editing and distribution.
The Atlas Programs—an initiative supporting Moroccan, Arab, and African cinema
Founded in 2018, the Atlas Workshops now fall under the Atlas Programs, which gathers together the professional initiatives of the Marrakech Film Festival.
Atlas Press, Atlas Distribution Meetings
Atlas Press supports the development of film criticism, while the Atlas Distribution Meetings brings together some 60 professionals from Africa, the Arab world and Europe to foster networking and the circulation of films. The Atlas Distribution Awards rounds out this initiative by providing support for the distribution of films.
The Atlas Workshops, Atlas Station and Atlas Distribution Meetings take place in Marrakech from Nov. 22 to 26, while Atlas Press takes place from Nov. 23 to 27.
PROJECTS AND FILMS SELECTED FOR THE 2026 ATLAS WORKSHOPS
Projects in Development
“Algiers Haze – Sarra Ryma” (Algeria), first feature – fiction
“America Is Behind the Door” – Laila Abbas (Palestine), second feature – fiction
“Ashes” – Meryem Benm’barek (Morocco), third feature – fiction
“A Beautiful Land to Die” – Amjad Abu Alala (Sudan), second feature – fiction
“Chronicles of an Unannounced Death” – Dyaa Naim (Syria), first feature – fiction
“Eko Gongon” – Carlos Yuri Ceuninck (Cabo Verde), second feature – documentary
“The Highway” – Farah Kassem (Lebanon), second feature – fiction
“A Lover’s Manifesto” – Alfred Tarazi (Lebanon), first feature – documentary
“Safara” – Awa Moctar Gueye (Senegal), first feature – fiction
“The Sleepers” – Sofia Alaoui (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Songs From the City of the Dead” – Abdelwahab Shawky (Egypt), first feature – fiction
“Studio Kébé” – Dyana Gaye (Senegal), second feature – fiction
“Waltz of the Savages” – Yasmine Benkiran (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“The Zebra’s Shadow” – Gaël Kamilindi (Rwanda), first feature – fiction
Films in Production or Post-Production
“1986” – Mouayed Zabtia (Libya), first feature – fiction
“Birthday” – Lara Zeidan (Lebanon), first feature – fiction
“Eldorado” – Alaa Eddine Aljem (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Fagadaga” – Yoro Mbaye (Senegal), first feature – fiction
“Faux Bijoux” – Jessy Moussallem (Lebanon), first feature – fiction
“Hamlet From the Slums” – Ahmed Fawzi-Saleh (Egypt), second feature – fiction
“Mehal Sefari” – Abraham Gezahagne (Ethiopia), third feature – fiction
“My Father Killed Bourguiba” – Fatma Riahi (Tunisia), second feature – documentary
“Occupational Hazards” – Bassel Ghandour (Jordan), second feature – fiction
“Seasons of the Weary Kind” – Samuel Ishimwe (Rwanda), first feature – fiction
“Wolfmother” – Ismaël El Iraki (Morocco), second feature – fiction
Atlas Close-Ups
“Amar Made His Dream Come True” – Samira El Mouzghibati (Morocco), second feature – documentary
“B512, The Man Who Forgot to Die” – Jihane El Bahhar (Morocco), third feature – fiction
“The Cemetery’s Birds” – Madane El Ghazouani (Morocco), second feature – fiction
“Like a Sister” – Sonia Terrab (Morocco), first feature – fiction
“Medina” – Yassine Fennane (Morocco), fourth feature – fiction
Atlas Station – Selected Moroccan Professionals
Hamza Azeroual
Rita Berrada
Hiba El Abkari
Roaa Idali
Nadia Janati Idrissi
Yassin Karmoudi
Younes Lazrak
Reda Zerouali
Atlas Station – Short Films in Post-Production
“Kanaf” – Salma El Belghiti (Morocco), first short film – fiction
“Only the Palm Trees Remain” – Youssef Boucetta, Josh Brainin (Morocco), second short film – fiction
“Takzdouft: Ghosts of Mountains” – Omar Hazmiri (Morocco), second short film – documentary
“Saida” – Amine Zeriouh (Morocco), third short film – fiction
“Where the Sun Never Sets” – Yassine Ouahrani (Morocco), first short film – fiction