Much Loved | |
---|---|
Directed by | Nabil Ayouch |
Written by | Nabil Ayouch |
Produced by | Saïd Hamich Benlarbi Eric Poulet Nabil Ayouch |
Starring | Loubna Abidar Asmaa Lazrak |
Cinematography | Virginie Surdej |
Edited by | Damien Keyeux |
Music by | Mike Kourtzer |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Pyramide Distribution (France) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes (theatrical) 184 minutes (workprint) |
Countries | Morocco France |
Language | Moroccan |
Box office | $1.3 million [1] |
Much Loved (also known as Zin Li Fik) is a 2015 French-Moroccan drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch about the prostitution scene in Marrakesh. [2] It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. [3] The film has been banned in Morocco for alleged "contempt for moral values and the Moroccan woman". [4] It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. [5]
It is one of the first films to address the issue of prostitution in Morocco. Following the lives of four female sex workers, it brings to the forefront the exploitation of prostitutes by pimps, and the corruption of the police who sometimes even profit from the trade. The film stirred a national debate before it was released when rushes were stolen and leaked on the web. [6] The lead actress received death threats, and religious authorities condemned the film for portraying a negative image of Morocco, with its portrayals of extramarital sex and sympathetic views towards homosexuals. [7]
Loubna Abidar deceived the filmmaker Nabil Ayouch during the casting process, going so far as to disguise herself as a prostitute to pass the casting. [8]
Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
---|---|---|---|
César Awards [9] | Best Actress | Loubna Abidar | Nominated |
Lumières Awards [10] | Best French-Language Film | Won | |
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.
Cinema of Morocco refers to the film industry of Morocco. Aside from Arabic-language films, Moroccan cinema also produces Tamazight-language films.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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