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Narjiss Nejjar

Narjiss Nejjar

Directing

Biography

Born in 1971 in Tangier, Morocco, Narjiss Nejjar has made numerous documentaries, authored a novel, directed a trilogy of short films and is a screenwriter. Her first feature-length narrative film, ‘Les Yeux secs’ (2003), was selected for the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the Festival de Cannes and received numerous honors, including the Bayard d’Or for Best Screenplay. ‘Wake Up Morocco’ (2005) is her second feature-length fiction film. After participating in 2010 in the Terminus des Anges Collective, she directed ‘L’amant du Rif’ (2012), which was screened in official competition at several festivals.

Known For

Cry No More
7.0

Moroccan filmmaker Narjiss Nejjar makes her feature debut with the drama Cry No More. Former prostitute Mina (Raouia) is released from prison after a 25-year sentence. Bus driver Fahd (Khalid Benchegra) returns her to the isolated Berber village of prostitutes. Because the only men allowed in are customers, Fahd pretends to be Mina's son. Fahd falls for Mina's angry daughter, Hala (Siham Assif), who wants to stop the village curse. Hala has a daughter of her own, Zinba Rafiqua Belhaj, who's about to undergo a traditional loss-of-virginity ritual. As she forms a plan to stop the sex work-cycle, Mina doesn't let Hala know her real identity, although the village elders in the mountain cliffs remember her. Cry No More was shown during the Director's Fortnight at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

Cry No More

2003Movie