Short film encounters: A Dialogue with Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival and Ayoub Layoussifi 

Join us at Hayy Cinema for a special evening diving into the vibrant world of short film with an exclusive encounter with the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, a global hub for innovative storytelling and bold visual narratives

Register now to meet with film programmer Camille Varenne, who will share insights and introduce key criteria to make it into international short film festivals. Accompanying her is the acclaimed Moroccan director Ayoub Layoussifi, known for Queen of the Desert (2015), Tikitat-A-Soulima (2016) and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016). Layoussifi will introduce the film journey of his latest short Chikha (2024), which has captivated audiences at international festivals, including the Red Sea International Film Festival and the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam, where he was awarded Best Director.

About The Speakers: 

Camille Varenne is a member of the programming committees for the International and Labo competitions, as well as the African Perspectives programme at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She is also the coordinator of the Fund for Young Francophone Creation, which is dedicated to young filmmakers from Francophone Africa. Additionally, she directs documentary films, particularly in Burkina Faso, and is a member of the artistic collective Suspended Spaces. She graduated with a Diploma in Art Research-Creation from the Clermont-Ferrand Art School in 2018.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1983, Ayoub Layoussifi is an actor, writer and director. On his arrival in France in 2002, and after passing through classes préparatoires and an M1 in Computer Science, he trained at the Actors Studio in Paris and obtained a Master Professionnel at the Université Paris VIII à Saint-Denis in Directing and Creation in 2010. From documentary to fiction, he worked between France and Morocco. He wrote and directed an intimate portrait of Mohamed Lamouri, a musician who plays in the Parisian subway. The documentary Dis-moi Mohammed… (2011) received several awards, he directed Tikitat-ASoulima (2017), co-written with screenwriter Hadrien Krasker, a short fiction film that received a financial contribution from the French Cinema Center. After its World Premiere at the 2017 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, the film had forty official selections and some fifteen awards worldwide, including Best Short Film in Africa at the African Movie Academy Awards 2018. The film joined the “Nuits en Or 2019” selection made by the French Académie des César.

This programme is in collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Jeddah as part of the 48h Film Challenge public program.