FiSahara – Western Sahara International Film Festival returns to Seixal
From October 22 to 24, at 9:30 PM, in the Municipal Auditorium of the Cultural Forum
The Municipal Auditorium of the Cultural Forum of Seixal will host, on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of October, always starting at 9:30 PM, FiSahara – Western Sahara International Film Festival, which consists of a cycle that blends cinematic art and human rights culture, with the main goal of promoting, year after year, international awareness about the ignored conflict in this region, particularly the Moroccan occupation and repression in Western Sahara.
Paulo Silva, mayor of Seixal, states that “it is a pride to host, once again, an extension of this symbolic film festival. We hope that, as in previous years, lovers of the seventh art will come to our municipality to enjoy the scheduled cinematic works. This year there is another incentive, which is the fact that the festival is part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of April 25.”
Created in 2003 by Sahrawis, in the camps and in Spanish civil society, FiSahara (Western Sahara International Film Festival) is an annual film and human rights culture festival that seeks to entertain and empower the Sahrawi people through cinema, adopting it as a tool for self-expression, cultural resistance, and human rights activism, giving rise to Sahrawi cinematography.
The project has two arms: on one side, it is an annual festival of cinema, culture, and human rights, and, on the other, a film school open all year round. The festival annually brings to the camps screenings, round tables, film workshops, and many other cultural events. Filmmakers, artists, human rights advocates, journalists, and other interested individuals from around the world visit the camps and interact with the local population. The Abidin Kaid Saleh Audiovisual Training School also offers practical training to young Sahrawi refugees, so they can tell their own stories and create educational and cultural films for their communities to be seen worldwide.
An important part of FiSahara’s programming is based on the premise that access to leisure, culture, and entertainment are basic human rights. For the Sahrawis, the festival offers a week of respite from the hardships of daily life. In 2011, FiSahara opened a film school in the camps: the Abidin Kaid Saleh Audiovisual Training School, which provides practical training to young Sahrawi refugees. The screenings of student films at FiSahara have a particularly important effect on the Sahrawi audience, portraying a series of stories and characters unique to Sahrawi cinematography.
Program:
- October 22 (Tuesday), 9:30 PM
“DESERT PHOSfate,” by Mohamed Sleiman Labat
Algeria, Finland, Western Sahara, 2023
Duration: 58 minutes
Language: Hassani Arabic - October 23 (Wednesday), 9:30 PM
“CAMPOS ELÍSIOS,” by Giussepe Carrieri
Western Sahara, Italy, 2023
Duration: 23 minutes - “PEQUENO SAARA,” by Emilio Martí
Spain, 2023
Duration: 30 minutes - October 24 (Thursday), 9:30 PM
“HAMADA,” by Eloy Domínguez Serén
Sweden, Norway, Germany, 2018
Duration: 88 minutes
Always confirm with the concert hall or promoter the conditions of access, confirmation of the date or time, ticket place of sale, price, and availability.
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