ORAN, 21 October 2025 (APS) - A total of 63 films will compete in the 13th Oran International Arab Film Festival, which is scheduled to run from 30 October to 5 November, the festiva'sl commissioner, Abdelkader Djeriou, announced on Tuesday in Oran.

The official competition will include 10 fiction feature films, 10 feature documentaries, and 15 short films, while the rest of the works will be screened out of competition, Djeriou said in a press conference dedicated to the festival's program.

This year's edition coincides with the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of the National Liberation War.

In this regard, two historical films will be screened, namely "Zighoud Youcef" by Mounes Khammar, in the presence of the film’s team, and "The Lovers of Algiers" by Mohamed Ketita.

The festival will open with an African focus, screening three films from Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal.

A special section will also focus on environmental films, emphasizing cinema’s role in raising ecological awareness, according to the artistic program director, Linda Belkheiria.

A series of Palestinian films will be screened under the theme "Palestine Forever," showing solidarity with the Palestinian people. The festival’s opening night will feature tributes to Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, Egyptian star Nadia El Djoundi, and renowned Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb.

Similar tributes will honor Algerian actor Sid-Ahmed Agoumi and Egyptian actor Yasser Galal during the closing ceremony, according to the festival’s communication manager, Faysal Chibani.

The festival will also be marked by the organization of training workshops in screenwriting and mobile filmmaking, in collaboration with Al Jazeera Media Institute, under the initiative "Ambassadors of Algeria," said the event's organizers.