Nabil Ayouch
Nabil Ayouch | |
|---|---|
| File:Nabil Ayouch 2014.jpg | |
| Born | 1 April 1969 Paris, France |
| Occupations | Film director, producer, and screenwriter |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Notable work | Les Pierres bleues du désert (1992) |
| Spouse | Maryam Touzani |
| Father | Noureddine Ayouch |
Nabil Ayouch (born 1 April 1969) is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have been screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Ayouch was born in 1969 in Paris, to a Moroccan father, Noureddine Ayouch and a French mother of Tunisian-Jewish descent. His brother is fellow director Hicham Ayouch. After his parents' divorce, he spent a large part of his childhood in the suburb of Sarcelles,[1][2] visiting Casablanca in the summers.[3]
Ayouch cites discovering international cinema at the local cultural center, Forum des Cholettes, as inspiring his filmmaking career.[3]
Film career
[edit | edit source]Ayouch started his career as a scriptwriter and director with the advertising agency Euro-RSCG. In 1992, he directed Les Pierres bleues du désert, a first short film with Jamel Debbouze which tells the history of a young man convinced that there are large blue stones in the desert.
In 1993, Ayourch ended up settling in Casablanca, where he directed two short films, Hertzienne Connexion (1993) and Vendeur de silence (1994), for which he received international recognition.
In 1997, Ayouch directed his first feature film Mektoub, which represented Morocco at the Oscars. He also directed the feature films Une Minute de soleil en moins (2003) and Whatever Lola Wants (2008), produced by Pathé.[4]
In 1999, Ayouch created a production company called Ali n'Productions to aid aspiring young directors in establishing their careers.[1][5][4] He won the Ecumenical Award in 2000 in the Montreal World Film Festival for his film Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets.[6] Ayouch is set to produce the French-Moroccan thriller film Mirages.[7]
Ayouch's 2012 film Horses of God is based on Mahi Binebine’s novel The Stars of Sidi Moumen. In Horses of God, Ayouch explores the radicalization that can occur from poverty and extreme machismo, alluding to the 2003 Casablanca bombings. The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[8][9] It was also Morocco's submission for the 85th Academy Awards (held in February 2013).
In 2021, Ayouch's film Casablanca Beats was selected for the 74th Cannes Film Festival competition.[10]
In February 2025, Ayouch joined the competition jury at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, presided over by Todd Haynes.[11]
Ayouch is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Académie des Césars, and the Arab Film Academy.[4]
Controversy
[edit | edit source]Ayouch's film Much Loved, which takes place in Marrakesh, caused a stir due to its unsimulated sex scenes especially the scene where Loubna Abidar performed an unsimulated fellatio on a man.[12] The movie was ultimately banned in Morocco.[13]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Ayouch works and lives in Casablanca.[4] He is married to fellow Moroccan filmmaker and actress Maryam Touzani.[14]
Filmography
[edit | edit source]Feature films
[edit | edit source]| Year | English title | Original title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Blue Stones of the Desert | Les Pierres bleues du désert | |
| 1997 | Mektoub | مكتوب | |
| 2000 | Ali Zaoua | Ali Zaoua, prince de la rue | |
| 2003 | A Minute of Sun Less | Une minute de soleil en moins | TV Film |
| 2007 | Whatever Lola Wants | English-language debut | |
| 2012 | Horses of God | يا خيل الله | |
| 2015 | Much Loved | الزين اللي فيك | |
| 2017 | Razzia | غزية | |
| 2021 | Casablanca Beats | علي صوتك | |
| 2024 | Everybody Loves Touda | في حب تودا | |
Only writer
[edit | edit source]- Whatever Lola Wants (2007) co-written with Jane Hawksley
- The Blue Caftan (2023) co-written with Maryam Touzani
As producer
[edit | edit source]- 2000: Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (associate producer)
- 2006: Tiwarga (TV Movie)
- 2006: Heart Edges
- 2008: Houti Houta (TV Movie)
- 2010: L'Equipe (The Team) (TV Series)
- 2010: Al ferka (TV Series)
- 2010: 3ichk al baroud 2010 (TV Movie)
- 2010: Mirages
- 2011: My Land (Documentary)
- 2011: Zinat Al Hayat (TV Series) (executive producer)
- 2012: Quand ils dorment (Short)
- 2012: Horses of God
- 2013: Une bonne leçon (TV Movie) (line producer: Morocco)
- 2013: C'est eux les chiens...
- 2015: Much Loved
- 2015: Aji-Bi (Documentary)
- 2015: All Three of Us (line producer: Morocco)
- 2015: Aya Goes to the Beach (Short)
- 2017: Pluie de sueur
- 2017: Zwaj El Waqt (TV Movie documentary)
- 2019: Wadrari (Documentary)
- 2019: Adam
- 2023: The Blue Caftan
Decorations
[edit | edit source]Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Jonathan Smolin, "Nabil Ayouch: Transgression, Identity, and Difference" in: Josef Gugler (ed.), Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Social Critique, Indiana University Press, 2015, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)., pp 214–244
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ AYOUCH Nabil: Réalisateur, scénariste Archived 2005-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bloody Baby a Hallucination? First Images From 'Mirages'!
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Nabil Ayouch at IMDb
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
- 1969 births
- 20th-century French Jews
- 21st-century French Jews
- 20th-century Moroccan people
- 21st-century Moroccan people
- Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- French film directors
- French film producers
- French male screenwriters
- French people of Moroccan descent
- French people of Tunisian-Jewish descent
- French screenwriters
- Living people
- Moroccan film directors
- Moroccan film producers
- Moroccan screenwriters
- Moroccan people of Tunisian descent