Mohamed Ouboulmane, a six-year old child who lives in the Sefrou region of Morocco, has earned the title ‘Little Maestro’ because of his gift for dancing in the Amazigh tradition of Ahaïdousse. When he was three years old, he performed with the Maestro Mouha Oulhoussein, and in the summer of 2005, the Little Maestro performed in several places with the renowned Adour troupe across the Atlas mountains, amongst Amazigh communities. The film is a portrait of this young musical wonder. In Arabic w/English subtitles.

Screenings will be followed by a conversation with Jonathan Shannon (Associate Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College)

Rachid Kasmi was born in 1970. He received his diploma from the High Institute for the Dramatic Arts in Rabat, and a special diploma in Cultural Management. He teaches at the Institute for Cinema and Audio-Visual Arts in Rabat, and works as the director for cultural programs at the Goethe Institute there. In 2005, he established an independent film production house, Balance Productions. His filmography includes several short documentaries, including Marrakesh: Clap 2001 (2001), MC Taher (2002), Cabine Paradiso (2004), CinéRail (2004), and Little Maestro (2006). He is currently working on staging theatrical readings of texts and testimonials from former prisoners during Morocco’s ‘leaden years’.