The BrightMed concept initiated last year by Gibraltar Productions and the Gibraltar World Music Festival (GWMF) is already achieving one of its goals: projecting movies and documentaries based on Convivencia in Gibraltar and beyond.

The BrightMed which aims to bridge souls and lands will export one of its arms, the BrightMed Film Festival, to various cities around the world and started with Meknes, Morocco, on the 3rd of November during the Cultural and Artistic weekend organised by the Ismaïlia Al Kobra Association (the Regional Cultural leader), chaired by Mr Jamal Tazi, in conjuction with the World Cultures Foundation and Come to my Home, an initiative of Mr Driss Alaoui. Gibraltar Productions say they were impressed by the level of hospitality as well as the quality of the events.

The BrightMed Film Festival is composed of a selection committee of professionals from France, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco and Germany (directors, producers) and is preparing a program of two full days of projections in Gibraltar for June 2018. Four movies will be screened and their directors (who will participate to the festival in Gibraltar) out of 50 candidates based on their Convivencia spirit, their cinematographic skills and pertinence in the way to address the theme of the festival for next year.

In Meknes, the festival proposed thanks to the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Inter-Civilization Dialog (EMID) and Matanel Foundation samples of the previous program such as the movie Mali Blues directed by Lutz Gregor, awarded in Germany, Gibraltar and USA.

BrightMed Film Festival movies

‘Mali Blues’ was directed by Lutz Gregor, who is one of the members of the Selection Committee for the BrightMed Film Festival. This documentary tells the story of four musicians from the West African country of Mali, who, with their music, fight for a tolerant Islam and a country at peace. With subtle sounds and poetic images, though occasionally at full volume, Mali Blues portraits four exceptional musicians, who, with their music, fight for a new awakening in Africa: Fatoumata Diawara, Ahmed Ag Kaedi, Master Soumy and Bassekou Kouate, who played at St. Michael’s Cave during the Gibraltar World Music Festival.

They all have one thing in common: their music unites and lends the people the vigour to bring about change and a peaceful mutual future. Mali Blues is a music film; African hip-hop meets the spirit of Jimmy Hendrix, desert blues meets danceable AfroRock. It is a film about the unifying force of music, rendering, in our times of horror news, a positive image of Africa and its people.

The second film projected will be ‘Oud Al ward’ that tells the story of Oud Ward, a shy and secretive teenager, who seems destined to hopeless existence servant, slave to the whims of an omnipotent master and intrigues of his wives. But in the village on the borders of the desert, where in other adolescent company Oud Ward formed his future life, the girl finds out, amazed, music.