Curtain Rises on the 76th Edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, with Morocco as Guest of Honor at the European Film Market (EFM)

Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and the Media, Wolfram Weimer, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, as well as Michelle Yeoh, recipient of the Honorary Golden Bear, were welcomed as guests of honor on the red carpet, alongside members of the various juries and numerous German and international figures.

The Moroccan delegation taking part in the European Film Market, a professional event held within the framework of the Berlinale and which this year places Morocco in the spotlight, also walked the red carpet. The delegation notably included Morocco’s Ambassador to Germany, Zohour Alaoui, the Secretary General of the Department of Communication, Abdelaziz El Bouzdaini, and the Director of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center, Reda Benjelloun.

For Ms. Alaoui, Morocco’s presence at the Berlinale 2026 reflects the position Moroccan culture now occupies on the international stage, and more particularly cinema, as a language of dialogue, mutual understanding and rapprochement between peoples.

This presence also reflects the convergence of values upheld by the Berlinale and by the Kingdom of Morocco, namely cultural diversity, freedom of creation, openness to others and pluralism of artistic expression, she stated in a declaration to MAP on the sidelines of the opening ceremony.

This trajectory, she continued, is inseparable from the enlightened Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has consistently worked to make culture a lever of modernity, open-mindedness and international outreach.

The diplomat also recalled that, under the impetus of the Sovereign, Morocco today asserts itself as a space for intercultural dialogue, where traditions and contemporary creation coexist and enrich one another, and where cinema plays a central role in telling the story of open, diverse and dynamic societies.

At the level of bilateral relations, Ms. Alaoui emphasized that the Kingdom’s participation in the Berlinale opening ceremony further strengthens the excellent bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Federal Republic of Germany, which are celebrating this year the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

A relationship, she said, founded on a strategic partnership that includes close cultural cooperation, characterized by regular artistic exchanges, sustainable institutional partnerships and a shared commitment to promoting culture as a vector of rapprochement between societies.

Reaffirming Morocco’s deep conviction that cinema is an instrument of dialogue between peoples, mutual understanding and the promotion of values of peace, openness and coexistence, Ms. Alaoui expressed her satisfaction that Morocco and Germany continue to strengthen their cultural cooperation based on trust, exchange and a shared vision of culture as a universal common good.

On Wednesday, an event dedicated to Morocco was held at the iconic Gropius Bau to mark the launch of the Kingdom’s participation in the EFM, in its capacity as the first African country to be honored at this event, the professional and B2B segment of the Berlinale.

Several leading figures of the film industry in Germany, including Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle and EFM director Tanja Meissner, took part in the ceremony honoring Morocco, a choice that came naturally, according to the organizers, in view of the large number of international productions hosted each year by the Kingdom.

Morocco’s participation in the EFM, from February 12 to 18, will highlight the national co-production and financing mechanisms of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center, as well as the Kingdom’s expertise in hosting international film shoots, as Morocco is now among the preferred destinations for foreign productions.

Composed of established producers and a new generation of professionals, the Moroccan delegation will present fiction works, documentaries, series and projects in development, some of them in post-production, with the objective of strengthening co-productions and international partnerships.

On the sidelines of the EFM, professional meetings and roundtable discussions will bring together Moroccan and German stakeholders in the sector with a view to future collaborations.

In addition, the film The Mirage (1979) by Ahmed Bouanani has been selected in the “Berlinale Classics” section, dedicated to restored heritage works, where it will be screened in world premiere in a newly restored version.

Editorial team/le7tv (with MAP)