The Moroccan film “Lamine” by director Randa Maroufi has won the Leitz Cine Discovery Award at the Critics’ Week during the 78th Cannes Film Festival, currently taking place in France.
This award, sponsored by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar and Leica Camera AG, is presented to the best short film in the official selections, aiming to support new cinematic voices and emerging directing talents.
The film, a collaboration between Morocco, France, Italy, and Qatar, has a runtime of 26 minutes and is making its global premiere in Moroccan dialect. It competes in the short film category.
“Lamine” is set in the city of Jerada, known for its coal mines, where extraction activities continue informally despite an official cessation since 2001. The film reconstructs scenes from inside the mines using a set designed by the crew in collaboration with the residents, who actively participated in portraying their daily lives within the film.
Randa Maroufi, the film’s director, is known for her style that blends photography, video, and artistic composition. Her work is characterized by documenting reality through layered scenes that convey lived experiences while remaining connected to visual accuracy and social context.
The film received a warm reception at the Moroccan pavilion during the festival, attended by several figures from the film and art criticism fields, marking a recognition of an artistic journey that reflects the dynamism of Moroccan cinema in global events.
