Award-winning and poignant documentary in which director Asmae El Moudir recreates her old neighborhood in Casablanca, revealing a hidden personal and national history
THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES
BESTE REGIE – UN CERTAIN REGARD CANNES 2023
OEUIL D’OR – CANNES 2023
Marokko, Egypte, Saudi-Arabië, Qatar – 96′ – Documentaire
Director: Asmae El Moudir
Production: Insightfilms
A little white lie can’t hurt, but at director Asmae El Moudir’s home, more lies than truths were told. In the vibrant neighborhood of Casablanca where she grew up, her domineering grandmother ruled everything: the past was kept hidden, and there were no photographs on display. In an attempt to unravel this unspoken history, she recreates her neighborhood as a model. Together with family and neighbors, she unorthodoxly reconstructs her painful personal, as well as the shared history of Casablanca, which has long been concealed. The bold and creative “The Mother of All Lies” won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival and was Morocco’s Oscar submission.