Two families of Moroccan rug-makers are contrasted in this award-winning French-language film. The poor family makes its living by dyeing the wool used in the rugs made in the richer family’s factory. When the boss of the factory refuses to see the son of the poor family following an accident which has injured his father, the poor son breaks into the boss’s house. He is met by unsupportable abuse from the rich wife, who flogs him for dirtying her carpets.Read More »
The collected work known as “One Thousand and One Nights” survived for centuries through generations of Arab storytellers, and is now recognized as an integral part of world literature. In this filmed performance, storyteller/filmmaker Nacer Khemir sits on chair in the middle of a dimly lit stage and deploys the magic of words to take us on a journey of the imagination. This simple set-up may not seem like much, but it offers the listener an extraordinarily colorful experience and brilliantly emphasizes the oral nature of the work. As we listen to the expertly told stories, we are equally charmed by their intricacies and entranced by their interconnectedness. Even though Khemir illustrates some of the stories with beautifully filmed sequences, the audience’s ability to listen is paramount here. Sheherazade used words to avoid impending death, Khemir uses the art of storytelling to breathe a new life into this ancient masterwork.Read More »
Tiyaa, a beautiful young woman from an aristocratic family, returns after a study in Paris to her place of birth, the Sultanate of Zinder in Niger. Her girlfriends and aunts soon notice that a shadow of sorrow hangs over her. She had to leave her lover behind in Paris and she is at a loose end back home. During a consultation with a zimma, a wise old man, she is advised to wait for the new moon to perform a love ritual.Until that time, she roams the community having conversations with women of all ages, who offer her an insight into their love life and sensuality, taboos and culturally-defined codes, with a dash of mysticism. The Wedding Ring is also a lyrical love letter to the traditional customs of the Sahel, with an eye for the beautiful clothing and an elegant production design.Read More »
Synopsis:
Two childhood friends, Adil and Karim, try to make a living as small-time crooks on the streets of modern day Casablanca. But when both men decide to make a better life for themselves, they are hired by a local mobster to perform one last job to earn their ticket out of Casablanca, and their friendship faces the ultimate test. Casanegra is an ode to the hopes of a city and a generation.
Awards: 10 wins and Morocco’s official submission to 82nd Academy Award’s Foreign Language in 2010.Read More »
Synopsis:
In a mountain oasis situated in the south of Tunisia, Kalt, a computer genius, has put together an emitter to pirate satellites and European TV channels under the pseudonym “Bedwin Hacker”. She tries to save her friend Frida, an illegal immigrant, from expulsio
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PLOT: A team of filmmakers in search of a theme asks young residents of Casablanca about their expectations and their relationship to Moroccan cinema. When they witness a crime committed by an unsatisfied dock worker who accidentally kills his boss, they are interested in this particular case. The investigation of the motifs will encourage them to rethink their conception of cinema and the role of the artist in society.Read More »
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A sorcerer (played by the director himself) controls all activities in a village. Manipulating the different parties, the sorcerer promises love, good health and riches in exchange for the most extravagant rewards. One day someone exposes him, and the sorcerer becomes the laughing stock of the whole village. Desperate, he throws himself off a cliff.Read More »
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Cape Verde, 1964. At the feet of a mighty volcano, the traditional Cape Verdean society is undergoing a steady change. The old land-owning aristocracy is disintegrating. A class of “mulattos” begins to emerge, with a trade-based financial power that threatens the landlords. A new identity arises, a mix of old and new, of African and Portuguese culture, sensual and dynamic. The songs of Cesária Évora follow this inevitable transformation. From the novel by Henrique Teixeira de Sousa.Read More »
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Political turmoil turns two lifelong friends into enemies in this drama. In the African nation of Tanzania, Dijmi (Haikail Zakaria) and Koni (Abdoulaye Ahmat) grew up in the same small village and have remained good friends into adulthood. Skyrocketing taxes lead to a revolt among the people of Tanzania, with citizens taking up arms to bring down a government they feel exploits them without representation. Koni and Dijmi join the rebel forces, but after a spell during which they fight side by side, Koni decides the rebels aren’t doing enough for the revolution and breaks off with them to join a more extreme group, who soon find themselves at odds with the original revolutionary faction. Daresalam — the name of Tanzania’s largest city, which means “Haven of Peace” — was shot on location in Chad, where director Issa Serge Coelo was born. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie GuideRead More »