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
Memory of Princess Mumbi
In 2093, a filmmaker arrives in the African village of Umata, where he meets Princess Mumbi, a woman torn between love, legacy, and the future of storytelling. It's a fabulous genre-blending fable about memory, invention and cinematic resistance.
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
Sasha Waters' documentary takes us through the life of America's best-selling late twentieth century poet, a private woman who shared her innermost thoughts and made them indispensable.
Rosetta
A teenager tries to change her dire circumstances in this overwhelming naturalistic drama from the Dardenne brothers, winner of the Palme d'Or and Best Actress awards at Cannes, 1999.
Searching for Satyrus
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Rena Effendi embarks on a quest to track down the very rare Satyrus Effendi, a butterfly discovered by her father in the mountains of Aberbaijain. But what she finds is altogether more personal, and more upsetting.
The Blair Witch Project
The rushes of a student-made documentary investigating the legend of the Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland, a quest that led the three filmmakers deep into the Appallachian woods. Easy to get lost in there...