The Mediterranean will once again take centre stage through the rich and varied programme of the 24th Cinemamed – Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival, which will explore the region’s film output in all its diversity. Almost 70 movies will be on offer to audiences, from countries ranging from Spain to Lebanon, via Morocco and Croatia. The gathering will open with a couple of locals, brothers Mounir and Ish Aït Hamou, who will be presenting their feature debut, BXL [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], which was first unveiled a few weeks ago at Film Fest Gent. It will be brought to a close by the Belgian premiere of Queen Mom, the sophomore film by Manele Labidi, starring Camélia Jordana, Sofiane Zermani and Damien Bonnard, a smart comedy on everyday racism.

The official competition will bring together eight features that have taken part in major international festivals. Among them we find Animale [+lee también:
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entrevista: Emma Benestan
ficha de la película] by Emma Benestan (the festival will also show her previous film, Hard Shell, Soft Shell [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], which was also unveiled at Cannes, in the Cannes Première section. Then, we head to Turkey with Faruk [+lee también:
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entrevista: Asli Özge
ficha de la película], a familial docu-fiction helmed by filmmaker Asli Özge, which won the FIPRESCI Award in the Panorama section of the most recent Berlinale, and to Tunisia with Red Path [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Lotfi Achour, which was premiered at Locarno, in the Cineasti del Presente section, and which has just won the Golden Bayard at the Namur International French-language Film Festival. Spanish director Jonás Trueba will also be among the participants with his romantic comedy The Other Way Around [+lee también:
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entrevista: Jonás Trueba
ficha de la película], which was presented in the Directors’ Fortnight, as was To a Land Unknown [+lee también:
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entrevista: Mahdi Fleifel
ficha de la película] by Mahdi Fleifel, which follows the daily lives of two Palestinian cousins who are refugees in Athens. Also locking horns in the competition is Vermiglio, the Mountain Bride [+lee también:
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entrevista: Maura Delpero
ficha de la película] by Italy’s Maura Delpero, winner of the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Italian hopeful for an Oscar. Also hailing from Venice, but from the Orizzonti Extra section, is Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo, the feature debut by Egypt’s Khaled Mansour.

The festival also organises another competition dubbed RêVolution, which intends to train the spotlight on films that depict the challenges faced by Mediterranean youngsters. A further eight films are in this strand, beginning with Aïcha [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Tunisia’s Mehdi M Barsaoui (who turned heads with his feature debut, A Son [+lee también:
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entrevista: Mehdi M. Barsaoui y Sami B…
ficha de la película]), which was recently revealed in Venice’s Orizzonti section. Other popular titles will surely be As Silence Passes By [+lee también:
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entrevista: Sandra Romero
ficha de la película] by Spaniard Sandra Romero, which took part in San Sebastián; Wild Diamond [+lee también:
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entrevista: Agathe Riedinger
ficha de la película] by Agathe Riedinger, a revelation at Cannes, where the film was presented in competition; Rabia [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] by Marike Engelhardt, boasting a top-notch female cast (Megan Northam, Lubna Azabal and Natacha Krief); and Meat [+lee también:
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entrevista: Dimitris Nakos
ficha de la película] by Greece’s Dimitris Nakos, presented at Toronto. The competition is also a fine showcase for documentaries, as in it, we find the Egyptian title The Brink of Dreams [+lee también:
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entrevista: Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
ficha de la película] by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, which scooped the Golden Eye at Cannes; Since I Was Born [+lee también:
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entrevista: Jawad Rhalib
ficha de la película], the new effort by prolific Belgian-Moroccan director Jawad Rhalib; and Donga by Muhannad Lamin, which takes an inside look at the Libyan revolt of 2011.

Of note among the festival’s other events are two special screenings of The Story of Souleymane [+lee también:
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entrevista: Boris Lojkine
ficha de la película], a film by Boris Lojkine that was rewarded in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and has set tongues wagging in France, and of Parthenope [+lee también:
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ficha de la película], the latest feature by Paolo Sorrentino, as well as a family screening of Flow [+lee también:
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entrevista: Gints Zilbalodis
ficha de la película], the acclaimed animated flick by Gints Zilbalodis.