The heart of Maghreb’s Meknès Festanim lies in its programming for children, who aren’t exposed to quality animation. The festival screened Madagascar and Corpse Bride for them. All images courtesy of Meknès Fest

Meknès, an imperial city in the heart of Morocco, with its ramparts, Medina, royal stables and… olive oil, which are famous throughout the country.

At first sight, there is nothing to indicate that an annual animation festival has been held here for the last four years.

The only one of its kind in the whole of Africa, the Meknès Festanim is now in its fourth edition. It took place last May, with director Isao Takahata as guest of honor.

Organized by the Institut français de Meknès, Festanim is neither a competition nor a market; the festival puts a lot of emphasis on retrospectives, without neglecting current production. This year, for example, one could see both Egyptian films and offerings from a group of young VJs from Annecy.

Congolese director Jean Michel Kibushi managed a children’s workshop at The French Institute.

The heart of the festival undoubtedly lies in its programming for children. The vast majority of them are unused to cinema-going and only know animation through television. Satellite antennae are now part of the landscape, like everywhere else, with Egyptian and Bollywood soap opera series leading the rating.

An aging cinema in the Medina, packed with excited kids, hosted a screening of Madagascar, while open-air screenings in the gardens of the French Institute were also a big success with the local public, who had come to see Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride among other films. Every film from the west is a cultural shock in a country where tradition and religion dominate life.

Watching the troubles of the timid Victor Van Dort and his fiendish partner, with the minarets of the Medina in the background is an unforgettable experience.