Public nombreux à l’ouverture de la 4e édition

Large audience at the opening of the 4th edition

Imedghassen Festival

The 4th edition of the international short fiction festival “Imedghassen” opened on Saturday evening at the Salah-Lembarkia Regional Theater in Batna, in the presence of a very large audience.
The guests of the festival, organized by the cultural cooperative “El-Lemsa”, were welcomed in a festive atmosphere on the square in front of the regional theater, and up to the square in front of it, where a red carpet was rolled out in honor of the artists present at the opening ceremony.
The representative of the Minister of Culture and Arts, Nabil Hadji, presiding over the opening of the event alongside the wali of Batna, Mohamed Benmalek, praised the efforts of the young team in charge of the organization which was able, according to him, “defy all difficulties in order to make the festival a success and make it reach the 4th edition”.
Mr. Hadji specified that the festival, an international meeting bringing together professionals and big names in the 7th art, from Algeria and outside the country, confirms the importance of the role of cinema in relaunching cultural life. .
A recovery made possible, he underlined, thanks to the support of “targeted and constructive initiatives” which will promote creativity given the predominant position of this art among creative youth who carry the torch of progress.
The organization of this cultural event with an international dimension, with the participation of more than 17 brotherly and friendly countries, coincides with Algeria’s commemoration of the National Day of Memory, May 8, 1945, and in the perspective of the celebration, on July 5, of the 62nd anniversary of independence.
Several artistic personalities, including Fatima Halilou, Hassan Benzerari and Mohamed-Tahar Zaoui, from Algeria, as well as Mustapha Zamani, from Iran were honored during the opening ceremony of the festival.
No less than 21 short fiction films, produced in 17 countries, are in the running for the prizes of this festival which will continue until May 15, according to the curator of the event, Issam Taachit, who stressed that this year, the event is marked by a “qualitative presence” of cinema figures, Algerian and foreign, notably Tahar Boukla (Algeria), Mustapha Zamani (Iran) and Todor Chapkanov (Bulgaria), the latter being the president of the jury. The festival, which aims to “relaunch the cultural and cinematic scene at a local and national level”, will include training workshops in short film making, screenwriting and acting, supervised by artists specialized in the field, also indicated the festival commissioner, noting that the public will also be able to attend, outside of competition, the screening of 4 feature films. This cultural event will also give rise to excursions for the benefit of guests from Batna and Algeria who will be able to discover the richness of the archaeological and natural treasures of the Aurès region.
R.C.