Tétouan Mediterranean Film Festival Closes Its 31st Edition as Exile Takes Top Honours

Eight Days of Mediterranean Cinema

The Tétouan Mediterranean Film Festival concluded its 31st edition on October 10, following eight days of screenings, workshops and professional exchanges. Running from October 3 to 10, the programme brought filmmakers, actors, producers and critics together around cinema from across the Mediterranean. Tunisian director Mehdi Hmili’s Exile emerged as the principal winner, while Morocco’s Mira secured both acting awards.

Exile Wins Two Major Awards

Exile received the Grand Prix of the City of Tétouan, known as the Tamouda Award, alongside the Mustapha Mesnaoui Critics’ Award. The film brings together Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as its production countries. Meanwhile, Spanish actress Mónica López chaired the official jury, which assessed ten feature films in competition.

Moroccan Performances in the Spotlight

Omar Lotfi won Best Actor for his performance in Mira, directed by Nour-Eddine Lakhmari. His co-star Safaa Khatimi received Best Actress for the same film. Together, these distinctions placed Moroccan performances firmly among the highlights of this year’s awards.

The Remaining Competition Honours

The jury awarded the Mohamed Reggab Special Jury Prize to Christophe Dimitri Réveille’s Les Survivants du Che. In addition, Margherita Spampinato’s Ô mon cœur received the Azzeddine Meddour First Film Award. Special mentions went to Nicolas Wadimoff’s Qui est encore en vie and Sucia, directed by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar. The critics’ jury also gave Sucia a special mention.

Tétouan Mediterranean Film Festival Supports Emerging Voices

Beyond the competition, the fourth Ateliers de Tétouan supported ten feature projects across fiction and documentary, led by eleven Mediterranean filmmakers. Participants worked with industry professionals on writing, pitching and project development. Meanwhile, the Talents en Court programme introduced students from film and art schools to the different stages of short filmmaking.

Three Projects Receive Development Awards

Oussama Oussous’s fiction project Tabâa took first prize at the Ateliers de Tétouan. Next came Zineb Chafchaouni Moussouaoui’s documentary 26 Love Letters, followed by Ghina Daou’s documentary Bérénice et moi. These awards support further development as the filmmakers seek partners and financing.

Cinema Across the City

Alongside its professional programme, the festival offered free screenings at Place Feddan and animated films for children at Cinéma Espagnol. It also organised screenings and an artistic expression workshop at Tétouan’s civil prison. Moreover, discussions brought filmmakers, writers, researchers and critics together to examine changes across the film sector.

A Continuing Dialogue With Matera

The edition also advanced cooperation with the Matera Film Festival. This exchange forms part of Tétouan and Matera’s designation as Mediterranean Capitals of Culture and Dialogue for 2026. On October 4, the “Route vers Matera” meeting gathered Moroccan and Italian professionals alongside Cinecittà and partner institutions. Discussions explored opportunities for coproduction, distribution and project development.

Moroccan Films Head to Italy

The collaboration will continue in November through Focus Med in Italy. Following presentations of Italian films in Tétouan, the Matera Film Festival will welcome a Moroccan selection proposed by the FCMT. A Moroccan delegation will also attend, extending the exchange between the two festivals.

A Festival Built Around Discovery

For more than forty years, Tétouan’s festival has connected Mediterranean filmmakers with audiences and supported films with limited commercial exposure. This edition continued that work through screenings, development programmes and international cooperation. Above all, it gave established directors and emerging voices a shared space to present their work and build new relationships.