Najat Benssallem

Raja is a nineteen year old orphan literally and figuratively scarred by life. Fred is an emotionally bankrupt westerner living amid his plush gardens and palm trees. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Marrakech, Raja is a cross-cultural drama about a wealthy middle-aged Frenchman's complex relationship with this poor local girl. Fred's attempts to seduce Raja, and their mutual attempts at manipulation, are fractured by their gross disparity of income, age and cultural sophistication.

Najat, a young Moroccan woman, once met the French director Jacques Doillon and was casted in his film Raja for which she won the awards of Best Actress at both Venice Film Festival and Marrakech Film Festival. Raja Bent El Mellah is a film about the backside of fame and the inequality of the world.