Our Forbidden Places

The Moroccan Labyrinth

There are at least seven thousand children and adolescents wandering the streets of Morocco's economic capital. Sold by their parents, abused, beaten, or abandoned, they struggle to survive. Since 1995, the Bayti association has been fighting to reintegrate these sacrificed children and give them a second chance.

Maroc, au coeur des traditions

At 14 Rabha El Haimer was an illiterate child bride, beaten, raped and then rejected. Ten years later, she is a single mother, fighting to legalise her sham marriage and secure a future for her illegitimate daughter. With unprecedented access to the Moroccan justice system, “Bastards” follows Rabha’s fight from the Casablanca slums to the high courts.

A humorous observation in Barcelona’s immigrant neighbourhood El Raval. Four barber shops, four places of remembrance, strange time and space capsules inhabited by people who left their home to find a better one, while the Spaniards are about to leave their own country themselves.

This short-length documentary takes us to Agadir, a city in Morocco that was struck by an earthquake in 1960. The film, made by an expatriate Moroccan who lost family and friends in the disaster, is a memorial to that tragedy and to the past he left behind when he came to North America. Partly allegorical, it employs varying techniques to offset reality from fantasy sequences.

A small village high up in the mountains of Ketama, Northern Morocco. The life of the people here has been shaped by the drug hashish for centuries. Hashish as daily work, hash as exchange currency, hashish as business, hashish as basis and philosophy of a social system, hashish as medium for dreams and hashish as reason for stagnation.

An undercover documentary film produced and directed by British filmmaker Dominic Brown, about the struggle of the indigenous Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. The documentary covers the current human rights and political situation of the Sahrawi. There are several interviews recorded with human rights victims including an elderly lady who had been attacked in her home the previous day by Moroccan security forces. There is also a focus given to the alleged vested interests of countries in the region, particularly France. The film states that the French Government's close relationship with Morocco, their trade deals and their use of veto over the terms of the UN mission in Western Sahara are major factors.

Samir longs for love and struggles to find prospects in a land of limited opportunities. He believes in a better future far away.

The Aït Atta tribe of the High Atlas mountain range in Morocco preserves their ancestral right of access to the agdal, a communal land management system that dates back hundreds of years. The film follows Ben Youssef family’s arduous transhumance journey from the desert-like landscape of Nkob to the green pastures of Agdal Igourdane, throughout uneven terrain of steep climbs and descents of these High Atlas mountains. They migrate each summer with their 800 goats, donkeys, mules, camels and dogs, as they embark on this formidable journey on foot.

Sahara Occidental : indépendance ou génocide ?

A determined group of Moroccan Hip Hop hopefuls band together to create their country's first Hip Hop festival, a celebration of music, unity, and free speech.

Road documentary that delves into the musical and religious expressions of sub-Saharan Africa. Through Mauritania and Mali, the film documents the lives of Dogon, griots, musicians and instrument makers who, through oral accounts, explain why music plays a fundamental role in the socio-religious organization of peoples. The film culminates its search with the recording of the performance of the traditional Dogon mask dance, in Begnematou, a small village lost in the desert.

Lila

An intimate portrait of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Framed through a personal lens, it's the story of loss, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

Furias

The young farmer Aalami leaves his family to find work elsewhere. He gets to know the country and its people, customs and traditions at Küste in North Africa: Market life in Tetuan, the art of craftsmanship, the life of the Moors, dances and festivities in honour of the caliph, white mosques, the call of the muezzin of the minaret and the music of the shepherd flutes. Aalami also follows Franco's call and flies from Morocco to Spain to fight at Bürgerkrieg. In the end Aalami comes back to his wife and children.

Four women are on an existential journey in Morocco, connecting with local women from all walks of life bonding in sisterhood, and share their common quest for empowerment.

Shot on location in a very remote part of southern Morocco, this short film looks into the amazing craftsmanship and dedication of the Berber rug weavers in the region. These incredibly talented people are part of an ancient tradition that still employs centuries-old techniques to produce beautiful and unique handwoven rugs.

The film is set in Tangier, a city in northern Morocco known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant artistic scene. It features Iliass, a young interdisciplinary artist who skillfully merges four distinct art forms—blurring the lines between tradition and modernity—to create a singular, innovative expression. Through Iliass's journey, the film explores the dynamic interplay of identity, creativity, and the transformative power of art, set against the backdrop of Tangier’s unique blend of Mediterranean and Moroccan influences.