The Marrakech Short Film Festival Announces Its 5th Edition
September 26 – October 1, 2025
Marrakech, Morocco
The Marrakech Short Film Festival (MARRAKECHsFF) returns for its 5th edition with an expanded international vision and a renewed commitment to elevating short film as a bold and dynamic cinematic form. This milestone year marks the official launch of our International Competition, a major addition that underscores the festival’s growing reputation as a global platform for emerging voices in cinema.
The 2025 edition will showcase films from across Morocco, Palestine, France, Poland, Jordan, India, Iran, Ghana, Greece, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Mexico, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Iraq, Belgium, DR Congo, Sri Lanka, with El Salvador featured as the Guest Country. This diverse selection reflects the festival’s mission to foster artistic dialogue and cultural exchange through short films.
One of the festival’s signature initiatives, the Low Budget Film Program, continues to spotlight bold, independent Moroccan storytelling. Launched in 2023, the program provides production support, creative mentorship, and a premiere platform for emerging moroccan filmmakers. This year’s edition presents “The Nest”, a poignant social drama directed by Ayoub Boudadi, recipient of the 2025 grant developed in partnership with NADACOME with El Meftahi Abdeslam as a producer .
Boudadi’s project explores themes of gender-based violence in a rural Moroccan setting and exemplifies the kind of urgent, courageous storytelling the program is meant to champion. With its micro-budget approach, this initiative continues to empower a new generation of Moroccan filmmakers with limited resources but unlimited creative vision.
“With the addition of the International Competition and the return of the Low Budget initiative, this edition is our most ambitious yet,” said Ramia Beladel, Festival Founder and Director. “We’re building a vital and safe space for discovery, collaboration, and visibility—both for local talents and for filmmakers from underrepresented regions.”
Stay tuned as MARRAKECHsFF continues to build bridges between Morocco and the world through the lens of short film and its industry.