Goodbye Morocco (Goodbye Morocco)
Arab Feature Film Competition
Nadir Moknèche / Feature Narrative / France, Belgium / 2012 / 98 min / Unknown / DCP
In Arabic, French / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Drama, Thriller, Social Issues, Suspense, Immigration
World Premiere
Rated: Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
Synopsis
Dounia, a Moroccan woman, and Dimitri, her Spanish lover, are overseeing the building of a villa in Casablanca when the excavations uncover ancient Christian ruins beneath the worksite. Seduced by the promise of easy money, they decide to cash in on the find without informing the owner of the land. For Dounia, this windfall represents the solution to all her troubles – she wants to regain custody of her young son, leave Morocco and live happily ever after. When a tragic accident threatens her success, she abandons her scruples in her selfish attempt to remodel herself. Known for his courage in dealing with sensitive social issues, here director Nadir Moknèche moves into the territory of the dark thriller, harnessing a true story to dramatise the self-destructive desperation of those who are disillusioned with life in North Africa.
About the Directors
Nadir Moknèche spent his childhood in Algiers and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in France in 1984. He studied acting in Paris from 1989 to 1993 at the Chaillot National Theatre, where he discovered cinema and began making short films with a Super-8 camera. From 1993 to 1995, he attended film classes at the New School for Social Research in New York. His films include the shorts ‘Jardin’ and ‘Hanifa’ (both 1996), and the features ‘The Harem of Madame Osmane’ (2000), ‘Viva Laldjérie’ (2004), ‘Délice Paloma’ (2007) and ‘Goodbye Morocco’, which screens at DTFF this year.
Credits
- Director
- Nadir Moknèche
- Screenwriter
- Nadir Moknèche
- Producer
- Blue Monday Productions, Need Productions
- Editor
- Stéphanie Mahet, Olivier Gourlay
- Cinematographer
- Hélène Louvart
- Sound
- Marc Engels
- Set Designer
- Production Designer : Johann George
- Cast
- Lubna Azabal, Rasha Bukvic, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Grégory Gadebois, Ralph Amoussou, Abbes Zahmani