Maryam Touzani

Last updated
Maryam Touzani
مريم التوزاني
Maryam Touzani Cannes 2019.jpg
Touzani at Cannes 2019
Born
Maryam Touzani

(1980-09-17) 17 September 1980 (age 44)
Tangier, Morocco
Nationality Moroccan
Occupation(s)Director, actress, screenwriter
Years active1991–present
Spouse Nabil Ayouch

Maryam Touzani (born 17 September 1980) is a Moroccan filmmaker and actress. [1] She is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed film Adam (2019), [2] [3] Morocco's entry for the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, and The Blue Caftan (2022), the country's submission for the same award for the 95th Academy Awards.

Contents

Early life

Touzani was born in 1980 in Tangier. [4] In 2003, she obtained a master's degree in media communication and journalism in London. She began her career as a journalist with a focus on cinema. [5]

Career

At first, Touzani worked as a screenwriter while directing short and documentary films. In 2011, she made the short Quand ils dorment. It won 17 prizes, including that of the Special Jury at the Huesca International Film Festival, the festival qualifying for the Oscars. [5] In 2014, she made her debut documentary Sous Ma Peau Vieille. The film, which discussed prostitution in Morocco, became very popular in Morocco. With the success of this documentary, she turned it into a feature film with the title Much Loved , which was released in 2015. The film was directed by her husband Nabil Ayouch, while she wrote the script. [2]

In late 2015, Touzani made her second short Aya va à la plage. The film revolves around the exploitation of small children as domestic workers. [6]

In 2017, Touzani wrote the film Razzia with her husband. She also played the lead role of Salima in the film. [7] Then, in 2019, Touzani directed her maiden feature film, Adam . [8] The film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in the section 'Un Certain Regard', [9] and later at the 12th Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur of Angoulême. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. [10] [11]

In the same year, Touzani became a member of the Academy of Oscars. [2] [12]

In 2022, Touzani's film The Blue Caftan was awarded the Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. [13]

Favorite films

In 2022, Touzani participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice. [14] Touzani's selections were:

Personal life

Touzani is married to fellow Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch. [2]

Filmography

YearFilmRoleGenreRef.
2012Quand ils dormentDirector, writerShort film
2014Sous ma peau vieilleDirectorDocumentary
2015Aya va à la plageDirectorShort film
2017 Razzia Screenwriter, actressFilm
2019 Adam Director, screenwriterFilm [15]
2022 Casablanca Beats (Haut et fort)ScreenwriterFilm
2022 The Blue Caftan (Le bleu du caftan)Director, screenwriterFilm
2024 Everybody Loves Touda ScreenwriterFilm

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nabil Ayouch</span> Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer

Nabil Ayouch is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have been screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Morocco</span>

Cinema of Morocco refers to the film industry of Morocco. Aside from Arabic-language films, Moroccan cinema also produces Tamazight-language films. The first film in Morocco was shot by Louis Lumière in 1897. The first three Moroccan feature films were funded between 1968-1969. Most researchers and critics agree that the history of Moroccan cinema started with Hamid Bénani's Wechma (1970), which is recognised as the first cult movie in Moroccan film history, and received critical acclaim on an international scale. Until then films produced in the country were Moroccanised versions of Egyptian melodramas. Other influential Moroccan films include A Thousand and One Hands, which was the first feature length fiction film of the 1970s.

Saleh Bakri is a Palestinian film and theater actor. He began his career in the theater. He is the son of actor and film director Mohammad Bakri, and the brother of actors Ziad, Adam Bakri and Mahmood Bakri.

<i>Horses of God</i> 2012 film

Horses of God is 2012 Moroccan drama film about the 2003 Casablanca bombings. It was directed by Nabil Ayouch, and based on the novel The Stars of Sidi Moumen by Moroccan writer Mahi Binebine. The film won several awards, and was Morocco's submission for the 85th Academy Awards.

<i>Much Loved</i> 2015 Moroccan film

Much Loved is a 2015 French-Moroccan drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch about the prostitution scene in Marrakesh. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film has been banned in Morocco for alleged "contempt for moral values and the Moroccan woman". It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Razzia</i> (2017 film) 2017 film

Razzia is a 2017 Moroccan drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Razzia is mostly set in Casablanca and characters frequently discuss the 1942 film Casablanca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hicham Lasri</span> Moroccan film director

Hicham Lasri is a Moroccan comics artist, film director, novelist, producer and screenwriter. He has a special imprint on Moroccan cinema, as his films often deal with topics that are considered taboo in Moroccan society with great boldness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaouther Ben Hania</span> Tunisian film director

Kaouther Ben Hania also written Kaouther Ben Henia or Kaouther Benhenia is a Tunisian film director. Her 2017 film Beauty and the Dogs was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. Her 2020 film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. Her 2024 film Four Daughters was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at 96th Academy Awards.

<i>Adam</i> (2019 Moroccan film) 2019 film

Adam is a 2019 Moroccan drama film directed by Maryam Touzani. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Casablanca Beats is a 2021 Moroccan drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch. In June 2021, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Ali n' Productions. It is reportedly the first Moroccan film to be selected to compete for the Palme d'Or since 1962. The film was shot at Les Etoiles de Sidi Moumen, a cultural centre that director Ayouch co-founded with Mahi Binebine in 2014. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.

Anas Basbousi known artistically as Bawss, is a Moroccan actor and rapper. He is best known for his role in Nabil Ayouch's 2021 film Casablanca Beats, which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

Abdelilah Basbousi is a Moroccan actor. He is best known for his role in Nabil Ayouch's 2021 film Casablanca Beats, which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and his the brother of Anas Basbousi the well known actor in the artistic name of Bawss.

Samah Barigou is a Moroccan actress. She is best known for her role in Nabil Ayouch's 2021 film Casablanca Beats, which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Cannes Film Festival</span> 2022 film festival

The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is a film festival that took place from 17 to 28 May 2022. French actor Vincent Lindon served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Virginie Efira hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.

<i>The Blue Caftan</i> 2022 film by Maryam Touzani

The Blue Caftan is a 2022 Moroccan Arabic-language drama film directed by Maryam Touzani, and written by Touzani with the collaboration of Nabil Ayouch. It depicts a woman and her closeted gay husband, who run a caftan store in the medina of Salé, Morocco, and hire a young man as an apprentice.

<i>Everybody Loves Touda</i> 2024 film by Nabil Ayouch

Everybody Loves Touda is a 2024 drama film directed, co-written and co-produced by Nabil Ayouch from a screenplay he wrote with Maryam Touzani. The film stars Nisrin Erradi as a young singer who dreams of becoming a traditional Moroccan folk singer and moving to Casablanca for greater recognition and a better life for her son. It is a co-production between Morocco, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

References

  1. ↑ "Maryam Touzani". IFFR. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "They make Mediterranean cinema: Maryam Touzani, from journalism to cinema". huffpostmaghreb. Archived from the original on 2018-03-17. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Filmmaker Maryam Touzani Talks About Her Debut, 'Adam'". variety. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Maryam Touzani". Prix Agnès (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  5. 1 2 "The shocking film about Aya, a little Moroccan maid". plurielle. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Two Moroccan short films in official competition". lematin. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Actress and director Maryam Touzani has women in her skin!". insidefarouche. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "No choice". vermelho. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Maryam Touzani tells us about her film "Adam", selected at the Cannes Film Festival 2019". huffpostmaghreb. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Le film marocain "Adam" choisi pour concourir à la présélection des Oscars 2020". 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  11. ↑ Holdsworth, Nick (28 August 2019). "Oscars: Morocco Selects 'Adam' for Best International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "72nd Cannes Film Festival: which films have great queer potential". komitid. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "75th Cannes Film Festival" . Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "Maryam Touzani | BFI".
  15. ↑ "Maryam Touzani's 'Adam' looks at the lives of two isolated Moroccan women in a patriarchal society". euronews. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.