Maryam Touzani

Maryam Touzani (born 17 September 1980) is a Moroccan filmmaker and actress.[1] She is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed film Adam (2019),[2][3] Morocco's entry for the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, and The Blue Caftan (2022), the country's submission for the same award for the 95th Academy Awards.

Maryam Touzani
مريم التوزاني
Touzani at Cannes 2019
Born
Maryam Touzani

(1980-09-17) 17 September 1980
Tangier, Morocco
NationalityMoroccan
Occupation(s)Director, actress, screenwriter
Years active1991–present
SpouseNabil Ayouch

Early life

Touzani was born in 1980 in Tangier.[4] In 2003, she obtained a master's degree in media communication and journalism in London. She began her career as a journalist with a focus on cinema.[5]

Career

At first, Touzani worked as a screenwriter while directing short and documentary films. In 2011, she made the short Quand ils dorment. It won 17 prizes, including that of the Special Jury at the Huesca International Film Festival, the festival qualifying for the Oscars.[5] In 2014, she made her debut documentary Sous Ma Peau Vieille. The film, which discussed prostitution in Morocco, became very popular in Morocco. With the success of this documentary, she turned it into a feature film with the title Much Loved, which was released in 2015. The film was directed by her husband Nabil Ayouch, while she wrote the script.[2]

In late 2015, Touzani made her second short Aya va à la plage. The film revolves around the exploitation of small children as domestic workers.[6]

In 2017, Touzani wrote the film Razzia with her husband. She also played the lead role of Salima in the film.[7] Then, in 2019, Touzani directed her maiden feature film, Adam.[8] The film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in the section 'Un Certain Regard'.[9] Then later at the 12th Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur of Angoulême. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[10][11]

In the same year, Touzani became a member of the Academy of Oscars.[2][12]

In 2022, Touzani's film The Blue Caftan was awarded the Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.[13]

Favorite films

In 2022, Touzani participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice.[14]

Touzani selections were:

Personal life

Touzani is married to fellow Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch.[2]

Filmography
YearFilmRoleGenreRef.
2012Quand ils dormentDirector, writerShort film
2014Sous ma peau vieilleDirectorDocumentary
2015Aya va à la plageDirectorShort film
2017RazziaScreenwriter, actressFilm
2019AdamDirector, screenwriterFilm[15]
2022Casablanca Beats (Haut et fort)ScreenwriterFilm
2022The Blue Caftan (Le bleu du caftan)Director, screenwriterFilm

References
  1. "Maryam Touzani". IFFR. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  2. "They make Mediterranean cinema: Maryam Touzani, from journalism to cinema". huffpostmaghreb. Archived from the original on 2018-03-17. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  3. "Filmmaker Maryam Touzani Talks About Her Debut, 'Adam'". variety. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. "Maryam Touzani". Prix Agnès (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  5. "The shocking film about Aya, a little Moroccan maid". plurielle. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. "Two Moroccan short films in official competition". lematin. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. "Actress and director Maryam Touzani has women in her skin!". insidefarouche. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  8. "No choice". vermelho. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. "Maryam Touzani tells us about her film "Adam", selected at the Cannes Film Festival 2019". huffpostmaghreb. Archived from the original on 2019-04-19. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  10. "Le film marocain "Adam" choisi pour concourir à la présélection des Oscars 2020". 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  11. Holdsworth, Nick (28 August 2019). "Oscars: Morocco Selects 'Adam' for Best International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  12. "72nd Cannes Film Festival: which films have great queer potential". komitid. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. "75th Cannes Film Festival". Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  14. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time/all-voters/maryam-touzani
  15. "Maryam Touzani's 'Adam' looks at the lives of two isolated Moroccan women in a patriarchal society". euronews. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
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