From April 22 to 26, 2026, Casablanca will host the second edition of the International Film and Equality Festival. Organized by the Tahadi Association for Equality and Citizenship (ATEC), the event aims to use the camera as a powerful tool for advocacy against new forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

 

Under the theme “The Camera Facing Digital Violence,” this second edition continues the tradition of this cultural and socially conscious event. For the organizers, the goal is clear: to foster a dialogue between cinema and women’s rights, using film as a powerful tool for analyzing social change and sparking debate on new forms of exclusion.

 

Deconstructing Stereotypes Through Film

The event also aims to highlight films directed by women. The goal is to highlight female directors and writers who work, both in front of and behind the camera, to deconstruct stereotypes and transform representations in the artistic and cultural spheres. To anchor this art in social reality, ATEC has designed a program combining screenings, thematic conferences, and open discussions with Moroccan and international intellectual and media figures. The festival will also use this platform to pay tribute to several prominent figures in cinema and journalism, whose careers exemplify a relentless defense of freedom, equality, and human dignity. This vision is affirmed by the organizers, for whom “culture is an essential lever for raising awareness, advocacy, and social transformation.”

 

This spotlight on online violence comes at a pivotal moment for women’s rights in Morocco. With the reform of the Family Code still pending, the festival serves as a reminder that cyberbullying and online defamation now function as new tools of patriarchal control designed to intimidate women and restrict their freedom of expression. In the face of this urgent crisis, cinema is determined to fully play its role in raising awareness.

 

Source : EgalitéMag / Translated from french / Original article by Dounia Z. Mseffer