The city of Essaouira will host the third edition of the Esther & Salma Encounters festival from October 8-11. Organized by the Esther and Salma Association in partnership with the Essaouira-Mogador Association, the event will feature a multidisciplinary program with cinema, theater, music, visual arts, performances, and discussions. This year's theme is "Traversées" (Crossings), which will explore exile, memory, transmission, and intercultural dialogue.
The festival will take place in several iconic spaces in Essaouira, including the Bastion, the medina, the cultural center, and the Souk contemporain. The program is divided into four sections: "ouvrir" (open), "traverser" (cross), "s’affranchir" (emancipate), and "transcender" (transcend). These sections will serve as a guide for the film screenings, performances, and debates that will take place over the four days.
According to Catherine Becker, founder and artistic director of the festival, this edition is particularly relevant in the current context. She invites participants to preserve hope and rebuild it collectively by considering the encounter and the richness of otherness as a way to overcome the pain of exile. Becker also advocates for a deconpartmentalized conception of cinema, which she sees as a multiple creation in permanent dialogue with music, theater, and painting.
The film selection for this edition includes works that explore movement, uprooting, transmission, emancipation, and the quest for a place. The films, which come from different territories, generations, and cinematic traditions, are united by a common question: what becomes of one after crossing a border, an ordeal, or a personal transformation? Some of the selected films include "La Traversée" (2022), "Promis le ciel" (2025), "Trances" (1981), and "Sirāt" (2025).
The festival will not be limited to film screenings, as the Souk contemporain will be transformed into a living cultural space open to the public during the four days. The space will host exhibitions, workshops, performances, readings, concerts, and encounters between invited artists, local creators, residents, and festival-goers. Essaouira occupies a central place in the identity of the Esther & Salma Encounters, with its history of departures, returns, and the intersection of Muslim, Jewish, and Amazigh cultures.
The city of Essaouira is not just a backdrop for the festival; it is a living memory that the organizers aim to tap into. During the 2025 edition, between 200 and 300 people attended each day's film screenings, while the parade and concert drew around 400 participants. The organizers also noted an increasing presence of Essaouira residents, particularly high school and university students. This year's edition aims to build on this momentum and explore the transformations that occur through encounters, transmission, and emancipation.
Key points
- The festival's theme of "Traversées" (Crossings) will explore exile, memory, transmission, and intercultural dialogue.
