In this Sufi tale, Nadia, a young Moroccan emigre returns from Paris to Fez to visit her dying father. At his funeral, she is overcome by the voice of Karina chanting the Koran. A powerful friendship develops between the two women as they decide to turn the father's palace into a shelter for Muslim women.
Direction
Benlyazid crafts spiritual cinema without a single preachy moment.
Cinematography
Fez becomes a character—light, shadow, and tile work as meditation.
Acting
El Adraoui's voice could convert the most committed atheist.
Director
Farida Benlyazid
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
One of the first feature films directed by a Moroccan woman, made with government support during a brief window of cultural liberalization.
Benlyazid deliberately cast non-professionals for authenticity; El Adraoui was a real Quranic singer discovered in Fez. Her trance states on camera required no direction.
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