For the first time, an East African film garners a prestigious award at the Khouribga African Film Festival.

PRESS RELEASE JUNE 2013 KHOURIBGA AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN EAST AFRICAN FILM GARNERS A PRESTIGIOUS AWARD AT THE KHOURIBGA AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL.

The Khouribga African Film Festival is pleased to announce that the film, ZAMORA, Directed by Shams Bhanji and Produced by Javed Jafferji (ZG Films, Zanzibar) is the winner of this year’s Special Jury Prize. This historic win represents several firsts: the first time a film from Zanzibar/Tanzania has been included in the Khouribga African Film Festival, and a first time win for a film from East Africa. Jury member Sanaa Alaoui emphasized the jury’s difficulty in discerning this year’s prizes, because of the overall high quality of the films in competition. Seventeen films from fifteen African countries competed in this 16th edition of the Khouribga festival, the second most important rendezvous for African film on the continent after FESPACO. She added that ZAMORA nevertheless stood out for its originality, its poetry, and its imagery. Earlier this year ZAMORA won a special award at FESPACO for best digital film. ZAMORA earlier won a special jury prize (Silver Dhow) as well as Best East African Film at the 2012 Zanzibar International Film Festival. The film’s director, Shams Bhanji, was accompanied by his two lead actors, Richard Bezuidenhout and Richa Adhia. Zamora is is much more than a swahili love story.....it is a poetic evolution of one man's hidden desires, and his quest to find true love. This is the director's first feature. Lahoussaine Ndoufi, the Director of the Khouribga African Film Festival added that he hoped that the award would encourage Shams Bhanji to consider co-producing his next film with the Centre Cinématographique Marocain.