Pretty Baby is a 1977 American historical drama film directed by Louis Malle, written by Polly Platt, and starring Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine, and Susan Sarandon. Set in 1917, it focuses on a 12-year-old girl being raised in a brothel in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans by her prostitute mother. Barbara Steele, Diana Scarwid, and Antonio Fargas appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the true account of a young girl who was sexually exploited by being forced into prostitution by her mother, which was recounted in historian Al Rose's 1974 book Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red-Light District, as well as the life of photographer Ernest Bellocq, who photographed various New Orleans prostitutes in the early-twentieth century. Its title is derived from the Tony Jackson song of the same name, which is used in the soundtrack.
Nabil Ayouch is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival.
The history of the cinema of Morocco dates back to "The Moroccan Goatherd" by Louis Lumière in 1897. During the French protectorate, films were produced and directed by French filmmakers, and in 1952, Orson Welles directed his Othello in the historic city of Essaouira. Since independence in 1956, Moroccan film directors developed the national film industry. Emergence in the 1970s met with growing international success.
Merzak Allouache is an Algerian film director and screenwriter. His 1976 film Omar Gatlato was later entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Silver Prize. His 1996 Salut cousin! was submitted to the 69th Academy Awards in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. He is one of the most influential Algerian filmmakers, considered by some to be the most important. He is the only Algerian filmmaker who devoted most, if not all, of his cinematic work to his native country.
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.
In the Shadow of Women is a 2015 drama film co-written and directed by Philippe Garrel, starring Clotilde Courau, Stanislas Merhar and Lena Paugam. It is the second installment in Garrel's trilogy of love, the first being Jealousy (2013) and the third being Lover for a Day (2017). The film was selected to open the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
My Golden Days, also titled My Golden Years, is a 2015 French drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin. It stars Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, and Mathieu Amalric. It is a prequel to the 1996 film My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument. It was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the SACD Prize.
The Wakhan Front is a 2015 French war thriller drama film directed by Clément Cogitore. It was screened in the Critics' Week section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Les Cowboys is a 2015 French-Belgian drama film directed by Thomas Bidegain. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Fatima is a 2015 French-Canadian drama film directed by Philippe Faucon. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Prix Louis-Delluc for Best Film in December 2015. It received four nominations at the 41st César Awards and won Best Film, Most Promising Actress and Best Adaptation.
Mustang is a 2015 Turkish-language drama film co-written and directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven in her feature debut. Set at an unspecified time in the 2010s in a remote Turkish village, Mustang depicts the lives of five young orphaned sisters and the challenges they face growing up with extended family as girls in a conservative society. Mustang is an international co-production of France, Germany and Turkey.
Deniz Gamze Ergüven is a Turkish-French film director best known for her debut feature film Mustang.
Loubna Abidar is a Moroccan actress.
Although prostitution in Morocco has been illegal since the 1970s it is widespread. In 2015 the Moroccan Health Ministry estimated there were 50,000 prostitutes in Morocco, the majority in the Marrakech area. Prostitutes tend to be Moroccan women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds as well as migrants from sub Saharan Africa, many of whom are victims of human trafficking UNAIDS estimated the figure at 75,000 in 2016.
Amin is a 2018 French drama film directed by Philippe Faucon. It was selected to screen in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
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.
An Easy Girl is a 2019 French comedy-drama film directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, starring Zahia Dehar, Mina Farid, Benoît Magimel and Nuno Lopes. Set in summertime in Cannes, the film follows a 16-year-old who is drawn into her cousin's free-spirited lifestyle, despite warnings from her concerned best friend. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the SACD Award for Best French-language Film.
Maryam Touzani is a Moroccan filmmaker and actress. She is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed film Adam (2019), 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.
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.
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. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
