Ouarzazate Movie by Ali Essafi (Morocco/France, 2001, 57 min., Beta SP)

Synopsis:
Ali Essafi’s bitingly comic documentary is a portrait of a small Moroccan town whose economy is driven by the many movie crews drawn by its exotic desert scenery. Turning his camera on crabby casting directors for an Italian biblical epic, would-be extras in Astérix et Obélix and an old local hand who once carried Pasolini’s bags, Essafi cannily skewers the international film industry and the disparity between movie magic and economic reality.
In French, English and Arabic with English subtitles.

Post-screening panel discussion with Shiva Balaghi (NYU) and Maysoun Freij (Emerson University)

Biography:
Ali Essafi was born in Morocco in 1963. His works as a director include Général, nous voilà (General, here we come,1997), a documentary about Moroccan veterans of World War II. It was awarded the Special Jury Award at the Namur Film Festival in Belgium, and shown in Carthage and at the Paris Arab film biennal. Le Silence des champs de betteraves (The silence of the root fields, 1998), another documentary by Essafi, was awarded the Grand Prix at the International Festival of Environmental Film & Video in Paris, and was also included in the Cinéma du Réel documentary festival.

Festivals & Awards:
Best Mediterranean Documentary, Syracuse International Film and Video Festival, 2003
Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, Belgium, 2002
Festival International Nouveau Cinéma Nouveaux Médias de Montréal, 2002
Les Ecrans documentaires de Gentilly, France, 2002
Milano Film Festival, 2002
Vues d’Afrique, Montréal, 2002
Biennale des Cinémas Arabes, Paris, 2002