Ahmed Bouanani

Ali Essafi visited Bouanani three years before the latter’s death. The filmmaker, poet and novelist who also made drawings was leading a reclusive life in a remote village with his wife Naïma and many cats, living in the midst of huge piles of books and manuscripts.

Ahmed Bouanani’s Al-Manabe' al-Arba'a (1977), a very low-budget fantastical adaption of a poetic fable, features his wife Naïma Saoudi, who also worked as an art director and set designer. It is his only film in colour, which convinced him that his vocation was to work in black and white.

Ahmed Bouanani’s Al-Manabe' al-Arba'a (1977), a very low-budget fantastical adaption of a poetic fable, features his wife Naïma Saoudi, who also worked as an art director and set designer. It is his only film in colour, which convinced him that his vocation was to work in black and white.

A father searches for his son after he disappeared from view, especially after doubts were raised about his possibility of joining extremist groups

Tahar is a retired blacksmith living with his son from his first marriage. After seeing his late second wife in a dream, he decides to visit her grave, in Azemmour. In the trip, he meets Driss who is going to Essaouira, looking for his mother whom he has never known after receiving a letter about her. The two men go to Marrakech together where Driss gets a combination motorbike that Tahar calls "wind horse". And they begin their journey together, first to Azemmour, then to Essaouira, looking for their past.

One day, a potter buys an old frame in which to put the family photos. But the merchant refuses to sell the frame without the photo of a stranger that it already holds. The potter sets off to look for the stranger in order to give back the picture.

Directed by Mohamed Abbazi.

Ahmed Bouanani’s first feature film played a pivotal role in bringing experimentalism to Moroccan cinema. It’s a fable-like story of a poor young farmer who finds treasure in a flour bag. This takes him on a journey where nothing is as it seems. The film’s narrative structure frequently makes reference to mythology and literature, utilizing Morocco’s rich history and oral traditions.

Ahmed Bouanani’s first feature film played a pivotal role in bringing experimentalism to Moroccan cinema. It’s a fable-like story of a poor young farmer who finds treasure in a flour bag. This takes him on a journey where nothing is as it seems. The film’s narrative structure frequently makes reference to mythology and literature, utilizing Morocco’s rich history and oral traditions.

Ahmed Bouanani’s first feature film played a pivotal role in bringing experimentalism to Moroccan cinema. It’s a fable-like story of a poor young farmer who finds treasure in a flour bag. This takes him on a journey where nothing is as it seems. The film’s narrative structure frequently makes reference to mythology and literature, utilizing Morocco’s rich history and oral traditions.

The story of Massaoud, a rebellious young man, oppressed by both his family and the sclerotic society.

Crafted exclusively from film archives, Thakirah Arba’at 'Ashar (1971) was Ahmed Bouanani’s first feature, but the censors forced him to cut it down from 2 hours and 18 minutes to 24 minutes.

Crafted exclusively from film archives, Thakirah Arba’at 'Ashar (1971) was Ahmed Bouanani’s first feature, but the censors forced him to cut it down from 2 hours and 18 minutes to 24 minutes.

A plowman finds a treasure in his field but when looters rob him of his find, his son Farès starts chasing after them.

Six and Twelve is one of a series of short films and documentaries produced under the auspices of the Centre Cinématographique Marocain in the years after Moroccan independence. While most of these were utilitarian in nature, Bouanani, Tazi, and Rechiche took a different route with this film, creating a modernist “city symphony” film that documented six hours in the life of the city of Casablanca. Combining a hard bebop soundtrack with stunning black and white cinematography and a radical editing style, the film stands as a document to the energetic experimentation of this period of Moroccan art and cinema.

Six and Twelve is one of a series of short films and documentaries produced under the auspices of the Centre Cinématographique Marocain in the years after Moroccan independence. While most of these were utilitarian in nature, Bouanani, Tazi, and Rechiche took a different route with this film, creating a modernist “city symphony” film that documented six hours in the life of the city of Casablanca. Combining a hard bebop soundtrack with stunning black and white cinematography and a radical editing style, the film stands as a document to the energetic experimentation of this period of Moroccan art and cinema.

Six and Twelve is one of a series of short films and documentaries produced under the auspices of the Centre Cinématographique Marocain in the years after Moroccan independence. While most of these were utilitarian in nature, Bouanani, Tazi, and Rechiche took a different route with this film, creating a modernist “city symphony” film that documented six hours in the life of the city of Casablanca. Combining a hard bebop soundtrack with stunning black and white cinematography and a radical editing style, the film stands as a document to the energetic experimentation of this period of Moroccan art and cinema.

A man from Tarfaya, penetrated by the magnificence of his country, the power of its beauty and the nomadic life of his ancestors goes in search of a great popular poet. He would be able to teach him wisdom, music, and the wonderful art of singing and poetry.

A man from Tarfaya, penetrated by the magnificence of his country, the power of its beauty and the nomadic life of his ancestors goes in search of a great popular poet. He would be able to teach him wisdom, music, and the wonderful art of singing and poetry.