North American Premiere
The vibrant city of Marrakech is a magnet for European tourists, and all they need to get there is their passport and a plane ticket. But, without a visa, the locals don’t enjoy the same freedom of movement. Many young Moroccans, like Samir, consider marrying a foreigner the key to pursuing a better life in Europe. Dreaming of love, and of leaving his home country, he laments the fleetingness of his relationships with the tourists he dates—never knowing if they’ll come back someday because they’re drawn to him, or to the destination.
Meanwhile, Samir’s sisters have high hopes that he will find stability and satisfaction through an arranged marriage with a Moroccan woman. When he falls in love with a tourist, Samir must weigh a life-changing decision: follow his girlfriend to Europe, against his sisters’ wishes? Or marry a woman he doesn’t know, selected for him by his family? Complemented by a fantastically stirring soundtrack, Julia Furer’s wistful documentary explores the emotional complexity of long-distance relationships and culture clash in a globalized world.
Q&A Sept 30 & Oct 8
Supported by
Media Partner
Switzerland
2021
In Arabic, Berber, and English with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Cowboy Bebop + The Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band
Here's the double whammy of the season: The Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band (led by Steven Zhu) paired with a screening of the thrilling 2001 Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.
Image: Allan Parker @adp.life
John Coltrane's Blue World: The Mike Allen Trio + Le chat dans le sac
Join us as we celebrate the 98th birthday of John Coltrane and the 60th Anniversary of the French Canadian new wave classic which he scored. Coltrane's music for the film was only released two years ago, as the album Blue World.
The Night of the Hunter
One of the strangest and most beguiling movies you'll ever see, from a poetic, nightmarish novel by Davis Grubb, a fable about two children fleeing from a psychotic evangelical preacher (Robert Mitchum). Charles Laughton's only film as director.
The Battle of Algiers
French Colonel Mathieu hunts for Algerian resistance leader Ali la Pointe in Pontecorvo's classic, which draws the battle lines between colonialists and Arab insurrectionists in a pulsating, "fly-on-the-wall" documentary style.
Credits
Producer
Franziska Sonder, Stella Händler
Screenwriter
Julia Furer
Cinematography
Nathalie Kamber
Editor
Marielle Pohlmann
Original Music
Moritz Widrig
Director
Julia Furer
Julia Furer has a Bachelor of Arts from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. In 2015, she received the Promotion Award of the zeugindesign Foundation for her documentary Julian. She has a Master’s in Film, specializing in documentary film, from Zurich University of the Arts. In 2022, she won the Swiss Film Award for Best Graduation Film for her first feature documentary, Love Will Come Later.