20TH edition NOVEMBER 24 TO DECEMBER 2, 2023
20th edition
November 24 to December 2, 2023
Abdeslam Kelai was born in Larache, Morocco, in 1969, and began his filmmaking career with the short film Happy Day (2003). He has directed several featurelength films for television, including Majda, Les Hommes et la mer, Eaux noires, La Dame de l’aube, which won the prize for Best Television Film at the Amman Television Festival, and Amour et colère and Le Silence de la mémoire, both of which won the Grand Prize at the Meknès Television Festival. He made his feature-length cinema debut with Malak (2012), which won numerous awards. Goldfishes (2022) is his second feature film for cinema.
After serving a long prison sentence, Hayat returns to her hometown in northern Morocco, where she finds herself faced with a brother who refuses to welcome her for fear of shame. Hayat merely wishes to see her son so she can explain the truth to him. She meets Amal, who works in a fruit factory and takes care of Houda, her sister, who is two years her junior and suffers from a severe disability. The courage and strength of these three women drives them forward in the face of exclusion, exploitation, and marginalisation.
Director : Abdeslam Kelai
Producer : Abdeslam Kelai
Screenwriter : Abdeslam Kelai, Mohamed Lamouissi
Cinematographer : Ayoub Lamrani
Production Designer : Samir Issoum
Editor : Ilias Lakhmass
Sound : Antonio S. Peñalba
Music :Richard Horowitz
Production Company : Mouton Rouge Films
International Sales : Mouton Rouge Films