Rédaction Africa Links 24 with ALM
Published on 2024-03-08 11:52:22
Director, screenwriter, and producer, Asmae El Moudir was honored at the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival for her work “The Mother of all Lies”. She has established herself on the scene as the first Moroccan female filmmaker to win the Grand Prize at this prestigious event. Let’s take a look back at the journey of this talented young woman.
Young Asmae El Moudir is the first Moroccan to win the Golden Star at the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) 2023. She made a mark with her brilliant debut feature film “The Mother of all Lies” or “Kadib Abyad”. Released in theaters since February 28, her film has received numerous awards, such as at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in April 2023 where it won the Golden Eye Award. Lasting 96 minutes, this film immerses viewers in the personal story of the filmmaker who, during a visit to her parents in Casablanca to help them move, discovers a triggering photo that leads to an emotional investigation. This quest challenges family lies, opening the doors to buried memories of her neighborhood and her country.
From photography to cinema
As the youngest in her family, young Asmae had a happy childhood and showed her love for photography at an early age. She started practicing this passion with disposable cameras, taking beautiful photos of flowers and plants. Her passion for cinema developed through the image. At the age of ten, she was drawn into the magical world of cinema by watching the film “Ali Zaoua” by Nabil Ayouch. She was very impressed by the images on the big screen, sparking a love for cinema in her. Always at the top of her class during her primary and secondary studies, Asmae was known for both her dynamism and her passion for reading books in Arabic and French. She also discovered her love for dance at a young age.
After graduating with honors in literary studies in 2007, she decided to enroll at the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Studies in Rabat (ISCA). Encouraged by her family and her friend Zaynab to make this choice, Asmae gained technical and artistic skills in screenplay, camera, directing, acting direction, and visual arts during her studies. She also benefited from training workshops and participated in artistic projects within the framework of agreements made by the institute and its national and international partners. She began her career as a filmmaker by directing her first short film “The Last Bullet”. She then directed “The Forgotten War”, which won the Grand Prize and the Best Direction Award at the 5th Documentary Film Festival on Sahrawi Culture, History, and Space in Laâyoune in December 2019. Her filmography also includes “In My Mother’s Sanctuary” or “Postcard” produced by the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel in 2020.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
