Tag Archives: film

Fanon Yesterday, today

Frantz Fanon: Hier, Aujord'hui film poster

source: vimeo.com

Frantz Fanon is a key author for anyone interested in development, colonialization or the post-colonial experience. I first came across him during my Masters on Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and bought a copy of The Wretched of the Earth as some not-particularly-light (but very relevant) holiday reading on a trip to the country of the living revolution, Cuba. An opportunity to see Hassane Mezine’s documentary, Fanon: Hier, Aujord’hui (Fanon Yesterday, Today) in the 2019 Africa in Motion Film Festival was an opportunity to learn more about Fanon’s life and philosophy and also to discover the continuing relevance and legacy of his work. Continue reading →

Film review: Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek

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In the past two weeks, Casablanca has come to Edinburgh! The showing of Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek in the 2019 Africa in Motion Festival coincided with the exhibition on the Collective Museum of Casablanca at the City Dome on Calton Hill. Both give pause for thought on the lives and lived experiences of marginalised groups in Morocco’s biggest city. Here, I consider Sofia and its messages around women’s rights. Continue reading →

Africa in Motion 2018: Apatride

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Africa in Motion Film Festival 2018 - Apatride

Apatride (2018)

As part of the team of the Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival 2018, I was able to indulge my passion for Moroccan film through my participation in an international symposium on the Global Reach of Moroccan cinema, part of the Transnational Moroccan Cinema project at the University of Exeter and also to see UK Premiers of new Moroccan cinema. One such film was Apatride, directed by Narjiss Nejjar.

Apatride is translated as “stateless” and this status describes – among others – those expelled by Algeria in the 1970s following the Green March of 1975, when the Moroccan state staged a mass march to claim the Spanish Sahara from the colonial power. The protagonist, Hénia, is one among 45,000 families expelled from Algeria to Morocco and she spends her life trying to return to her mother, who was left behind. Producer, Lamia Chraībi took questions after the screening of Apatride at the Edinburgh Filmhouse on Saturday 27 October. Continue reading →

Africa in Motion; Morocco in Motion

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Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Moroccan film and I love attending film festivals to see the latest independent releases. The Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival, run every autumn in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is one of my favourites. And this year I am part of the team! Not only that, for the third year running Africa in Motion is collaborating with the Transnational Moroccan Cinema project at the University of Exeter. Contemporary Moroccan cinema is gaining an international audience and Moroccan film-makers are building great reputations.

This year’s AiM Film Festival programme features no less than five Moroccan feature films – several of which will have their UK premier – plus three shorts. A workshop on experimental documentary-making will take place in the prescience of filmmaker Ali Essafi (La Septieme Porte, Ouarzarzate) and artist Touda Bouanani (Fragments de Memoires, Une Personne) at Edinburgh College of Art. And a weekend-long international symposium at Edinburgh University, Morocco in Motion: The Global Reach of Moroccan Cinema, aims to expand the debates and discussions on the global reach of Moroccan cinema with academics, film-makers and cinema-goers. Continue reading →

Marrakech Film Festival 2014: Complicit

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David Oyelowo in Complicit at the Marrakech Film Festival 2014

image: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Marrakech International Film Festival 2014 began on Friday 5 December. As well as the main competition category, the festival also features tribute categories. This year’s personal homages are to actors Jeremy Irons (UK), Viggo Mortensen (US) and Adel Iman (Egypt) plus two of Morocco’s most prolific producers, Khadija Alami and Zakaria Alaoui.

Morocco is a sought-after location for films. The Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzarzate are one of the world’s largest. The combined filmography of these two producers includes almost every movie ever made in Morocco. Between them, they have worked on dozens of TV and feature film productions including movie series such as James Bond, Mission Impossible and Jason Bourne. The new James Bond film, Spectre, will be filmed here in 2015.

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Marrakech International Film Festival 2014: preview

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I am a big film fan and I love to get my annual dose of big screen entertainment at the Marrakech International Film Festival. 2014 will be my 3rd year. Read my reviews of films in 2012 and 2013 on the maroc-o-phile blog.

For a preview of the Festival, read my post for Travel Exploration here. And for top tips on caffeine breaks and pit stops between films, see my cafe guide here.

Marrakech International Film Festival: best cafes for between movies

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The Marrakech International Film Festival is now in its 14th year. In 2014, it will run from 5-13 December. Although not as high-profile as some of the European film festivals such as Cannes or the Berlinale, Marrakech offers a great opportunity to catch new international and art house films as well as retrospectives and back catalogues. This year, expect to see L’Orchestre des Aveugles, a Moroccan feature, in the competition. Also showing are the drama about Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything and A Most Violent Year, J.C. Chandor’s film about crime and corruption in New York City. The open air screen on Place Jmaa el Fna will show the latest Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood epic, Happy New Year and there will also be homages to Japanese cinema, Moroccan producers, Jeremy Irons and Viggo Mortensen. The jury is presided this year by French actress, Isabelle Huppert. Entry to the films is free with a public pass available in advance via the festival website. Read my preview of the 2014 festival here.

So, there is no shortage of big screen entertainment. But what about between films? Where are the best places for chilling out, posting your snaps of stars on social media, reading reviews and grabbing a coffee on the go? Fortunately, the Palais de Congrès is right in the middle of a hub of café culture in Marrakech’s Hivernage district.

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Marrakech Biennale : exposed

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5th Marrakech Biennale Yesterday was my first visit to the Marrakech Biennale. Founded by Vanessa Branson, it’s a month-long festival of arts in all their diversity.

There is so much to choose from in the programme, but the first weekend is the time for openings, launches, vernissages, receptions and parties. The theme of my day yesterday was exposed.

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Marrakech International Film Festival 2013: the final day

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http://www.behindcloseddoors-themovie.com

On the final day of the 13th Marrakech International Film Festival, I saw two films with womens’ stories at their centre: Two Women on the Road (Deux Femmes sur la route) and Behind Closed Doors. Although they had this one commonality, they could hardly have been more different. Where one was set in the cut and thrust of Casablanca, the other took place in sleepy towns and villages of the Rif. Where one was pacy and full of suspense, the other limped along like the waddling gait of it’s older protagonist.

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Marrakech Film Festival 2013: Fevers

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Hicham Ayouch at the Marrakech Film Festival 2014

The Ayouch brothers are great filmakers. I am more familiar with Nabil’s work than that of Hicham, but after seeing Fevers, I am keen to seek out his earlier work. Unlike many works by contemporary Moroccan directors, the film does not revolve around immigration, exile or gender roles, although these are present in the background. Rather, Hicham Ayouch’s latest film tackles issues of family bonds, marginalisation and mental health head-on.

Benjamin is a 13 year old boy who has known only violence and care homes. When his mother is sent to prison, the Moroccan immigrant family of his father – whom he has not previously known – try to do the right thing by the boy, by taking him into their Parisian high-rise home. Benjamin is played by Didier Michon, already seen in Ayouch’s previous film, Fissures. His performance – as the disturbed, nihilistic and manipulative teenager – is incredible. He has a permanent semi-scowl and mocking smile etched on his face in defiance of the world. He embodies a seething hatred many more experienced actors would find challenging.

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