Nass El Ghiwane

On a handmade set re-creating her Casablanca neighborhood, a young Moroccan filmmaker enlists family and friends to help unearth the troubling lies built into her childhood.

The young farmer Abdelwahad has been the head of the family since his father’s death. Struggling to feed his seven brothers, and discouraged by the lack of prospects, he becomes attracted by the offer of a relative to go and work in France.

A portrait of the groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane, documenting a series of electrifying live performances in Tunisia, Morocco, and France; on the streets of Casablanca; and in intimate conversations. Storytellers through song and traditional instruments, and with connections to political theatre, the band became a local phenomenon and an international sensation, thanks to their rebellious lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound, which draws on Berber rhythms, Malhun sung poetry, and Gnawa dances.

The first Nass El Ghiwane Artistic Soiree was broadcast on national television.