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
Aya only dreams of finding love like her favorite opera character Carmen. But the person who steals her heart is a powerful hashish trafficker known as The Baron. After buying her virginity from her brothers, he soon reveals himself to be an illusory prince charming.
The Rif Lover
A combination of three short films tackling the subject of AIDS, a subject approached by three different directors.
Terminus des Anges
Henia will give anything to mend her broken past and find her mother, from whom she has been separated since the conflict between Morocco and Algeria during the Black Demonstration of 1975. After being given an opportunity to assist an elderly blind man, she accepts the offer and eventually finds herself agreeing to marry him. For Henia, this is a chance to get the necessary papers for her return to Algeria. For the old man, it’s a chance to start over. For his son, it is a disgrace.
Apatride
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
On an island off Casablanca, an old footballer shares his days with his granddaughter and dreams of this final he could have won if he had not spent the night with a woman.