The sixth Marrakech Short Film Festival is scheduled for 25–30 September 2026. It brings short-film screenings, competitions, masterclasses and professional encounters to several locations in the city. If you are travelling for it, base your plans on the confirmed dates, keep evenings flexible and check the official programme shortly before arrival: individual screening times, final venue allocations and access conditions can change. Staying in the Medina makes it easy to combine festival time with daytime visits, but choose your accommodation early if your dates are fixed.
Confirmed dates and the announced format
The festival is scheduled from Friday 25 September to Wednesday 30 September 2026. Its official 2026 call describes Moroccan, international and documentary competitions, while Marrakech’s tourism agenda also lists screenings, masterclasses and professional meetings.
This is a short-film festival rather than the larger Marrakech International Film Festival held later in November. Travellers should therefore search for the specific festival name when checking updates, tickets or programme news.
Venues: plan by area, not by a fixed route
Current cultural listings name Cyber Parc, Palais El Badi, Palais Bahia and Centre Les Étoiles de Jemaa el-Fna among the festival locations, alongside other venues. These are useful reference points, not a substitute for the final daily programme.
Do not assume that every venue hosts events every day. Once the timetable is published, group screenings by neighbourhood and allow extra time for navigating the Medina, security checks and finding entrances.
- Check the festival’s official channels for the daily schedule and access details.
- Save the venue name and entrance location on your phone before leaving.
- Choose one main screening or event per evening, then treat any second event as optional.
A practical Medina stay during the festival
For a culture-focused city break, the Medina is a useful base: it keeps historic sites, cafés and several announced festival areas within the same broad part of town. It is not, however, a single walkable grid, so let the confirmed evening venue determine your daytime route.
Riad Luciano is in Dar El Bacha, within the Medina. Guests with a fixed arrival plan may arrange an airport transfer in advance; this can simplify arrival before a first evening event. With only eight rooms and suites, booking early is sensible when travel dates cannot move.
What to confirm before you travel
The dates are confirmed, but a festival trip works best when you avoid building plans around information that has not yet been published. Recheck the programme close to departure and make refundable or flexible choices where possible.
If your priority is simply a film-themed Marrakech stay, the city’s short-film festival is the relevant event in late September. Visitors seeking the major international feature-film event should instead plan for the Marrakech International Film Festival, scheduled for 20–28 November 2026.
- The final daily programme, screening times and venue assignments.
- Access rules, registration or ticketing arrangements for individual events.
- Your accommodation and arrival plan if you are attending on the opening or closing days.