Festival Handifim cinema et Handicap (18)

Festival start: 03 December 2025      Festival end: 06 December 2025

The Rabat Handifilm Festival is an annual artistic and sociocultural event.

In addition to promoting the seventh art through the promotion of film productions dealing with the theme of disability, it aims to develop a constructive vision on the use of the image of people with disabilities in cinematographic and artistic works in general, and to foster a culture that embraces diversity.

By building ties of communication, networking, mutual assistance, and partnership with similar events nationally and internationally, Handifilm strives to raise awareness of Morocco, its unique characteristics, and its potential in terms of cinema and civilization in general.

A jury appointed by the organizers from among professionals in the film, health, or education sectors, as well as from associations working in the disability field, will award the competing films one of the following prizes, without the possibility of tying the two prizes together:
- the Grand Prize,
- the prize for best awareness message on disability,
- the jury prize,
- the prize for best documentary,
- the prize for best animated film,
- any other prize or distinction.

Article 1: The Rabat Handifilm Festival is an annual artistic and sociocultural event. In addition to promoting the seventh art through the promotion of film productions dealing with the theme of disability, it aims to develop a constructive vision on the use of the image of people with disabilities in cinematographic and artistic works in general, and to foster a culture that embraces diversity.
By building ties of communication, networking, mutual assistance, and partnership with similar events nationally and internationally, Handifilm strives to raise awareness of Morocco, its unique characteristics, and its potential in terms of cinema and civilization in general.

Article 2: The 18th edition of the Rabat Handifilm Festival will be organized by the Handifilm association from December 3 to 6, 2025, in Rabat.

Article 3: The Festival program includes:
- an Official Competition section,
- a Special Junior Competition section,
- a Panorama section,
- thematic conferences, master classes, and workshops,
- debates based on the films screened.

Article 4: Films submitted for selection and competing in the competitions must be:
- produced after December 2023,
- have disability as their main theme or be directed or performed by people with disabilities,
- be less than 20 minutes long for the Official Competition and less than 15 minutes for the Special Junior Competition,
- be subtitled or dubbed in Arabic or French if the original language is not one of these two. Exceptionally, English subtitles may be accepted upon a reasoned decision by the selection committee.

Article 5: To be eligible to participate in the special junior competition, films must meet one of the following two conditions:
- Be written and directed collectively by high school students,
- Be written, directed, and filmed by young people under the age of 24.

Article 6: Applications for participation must be received no later than August 31, 2025, at the following address: Handifilm Association, 4, Rue du Caire, Corner Rue Gandhi, Résidence El Menzah, Apt. 17, Rabat, Morocco, by email at handifilm@ymail.com, or via dedicated platforms.

Applications must be accompanied by:

- the film on a suitable format or a download link,
- the registration form duly completed and signed by the producer or director,
- a copy of the filming authorization issued by the Moroccan Cinematographic Center for films shot in Morocco,
- two photos of at least two sequences from the film and all promotional materials,
- a photo and the director's biofilmography or CV.

DVDs submitted for selection will not be returned to the sender.

Article 7: A jury appointed by the organizers from among professionals in the film, health, or education sectors, as well as from associations working in the disability field, will award the competing films one of the following prizes, without the possibility of tying the two prizes together:
- the Grand Prize,
- the prize for best awareness message on disability,
- the jury prize,
- the prize for best documentary,
- the prize for best animated film,
- any other prize or distinction.

Article 8: The Panorama section is open, regardless of length or production date, to fiction, documentary, and reportage films related to the Festival's theme.

Article 9: Anyone submitting a film guarantees the information provided on the registration form. The selection of a film does not imply the support of a representative for its production. This support remains at the sole discretion of the Handifilm association, based on its budgetary resources.

Article 10: Any film entered and selected may not be removed from the program.

Article 11: The Handifilm association reserves the right to use these films free of charge for Handifilm-certified programs, provided it undertakes to notify the rights holders of the work.

Article 12: The Handifilm association promotes, supports, and assists the films in the official selection as well as those in the parallel sections through screenings scheduled at other partner cultural events.

Article 13: Any case not covered by these rules remains the responsibility of the organizers.

Article 14: Participation in the 18th edition of the Rabat Handifilm Festival implies unconditional acceptance of these rules.