MARYAM TOUZANI / BLUE CAFTAN
Born in Tangier in 1980, Maryam Touzani spent her childhood in her hometown before pursuing university studies in journalism in London. Passionate about writing, she returned to Morocco and worked as a journalist, specializing in Maghreb cinema. Soon she transitioned from journalism to film.
In 2008, she wrote and directed a documentary for the first National Women's Day in Morocco. It was followed by When They Slept (2012), a fiction short, that traveled the festival circuit and collected 17 awards. Her second short, Aya Goes to the Beach (2015) won 15 awards.
In 2014 she started collaborating closely with the director Nabil Ayouch on the script of his highly-acclaimed feature, Much Loved (2015). That collaboration continued on Razzia (2017) which she co-wrote with Nabil and also acted in. Razzia was selected to represent Morocco at the Oscars.
Adam [ANA 2022], her first feature which she both wrote and directed, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard. The film went on to play at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, American Institute Film Fest and has won 23 awards to date. It was also sold in over 20 countries.
The Blue Caftan was awarded the Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was Morocco's entry for the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.