North American Premiere
Irrepressible Touda (Nisrin Erradi) only dreams of being a Sheikha, a respected traditional Moroccan performer empowered by the lyrics of the fierce female poets who came before her. Inspired by their songs of resistance and emancipation, she performs every evening in provincial bars under the lustful gaze of men. All the while, she sets her sights on the bright lights of Casablanca where she hopes to be recognized as a true artist while also securing a better future for both her son and herself.
Nisrin Erradi, Joud Chamihy, Jalila Tlemsi, El Moustafa Boutankite, Lahcen Razzougui
France/Morocco/Belgium/
Denmark/Netherlands
2024
In Arabic with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, Sebastian Schelenz, Katrin Pors, Mikkel Jersin, Eva Jakobsen, Marleen Slot, Elisa Fernanda Pirir
Screenwriter
Nabil Ayouch
Cinematography
Virginie Surdej
Editor
Nicolas Rumpl
Production Design
Eve Martin
Original Music
Flemming Nordkrog
Nabil Ayouch
Nabil Ayouch, a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and the Cesar Academy, co-founded the Arab Film Academy. His debut short film, Les Pierres Bleues du Desert (1992), introduced Jamel Debouzze. Ayouch’s feature films, including Mektoub (1997) and Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000), represented Morocco at the Oscars. Notable works include Much Loved (2015), banned in Morocco but acclaimed internationally, and The Blue Caftan (2023), which garnered over 50 awards and was shortlisted for the Oscars. He also founded Ali n’ Productions, promoting Moroccan cinema and supporting young talents.
Filmography: Mektoub (1997); Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000); Much Loved (2015); The Blue Caftan (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check Out What's Playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
The Haunting
Directed by Robert Wise in 1963, The Haunting is a classic exercise in the suggestive power of cinema, adapted from Shirley Jackson's 1959 best-seller, The Haunting of Hill House, a provocative blend of supernatural and psychological horror.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Once Upon a Time in Harlem splices together footage shot by William Greaves in 1972 of a group of Harlem Renaissance luminaries in conversation at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. The film is a living archive of memory, disagreement, style, and Black genius.
Possible Love
Lee Chang-dong’s first film since Burning (2018) is a sardonic, slow-burning satire about two couples: a documentary filmmaker married to a wealthy businessman, and a working-class family struggling to make ends meet after the husband has been laid off.
