Casablanca Beats movie storyline. Former rapper Anas takes a job at cultural centre in a working-class neighborhood in Casablanca. Encouraged by their new teacher, his students will try to free themselves from the weight of restrictive traditions, in order to live their passions and express themselves through hip hop…
Casablanca Beats (Arabic: علي صوتك); French: Haut et Fort) is a 2021 Moroccan drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch. In June 2021, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Ali n’ Productions. It is reportedly the first Moroccan film to be selected to compete for the Palme d’Or since 1962.
The film was shot at Les Etoiles de Sidi Moumen, a cultural centre that director Ayouch co-founded with Mahi Binebine in 2014. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Brief Review for Casablanca Beats
This is a film that must have pleased American director Spike Lee, president of the jury of the 74th Cannes Film Festival, even if he ultimately left empty-handed. This plea for the emancipation of Moroccan youth through rap is filmed with energy and carried by the candor of its young non-professional actors.
The Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch is not unknown, he is a great director who has already been to Cannes, notably for the very strong “Les Chevaux de Dieu”, which would have well deserved a place in competition in 2012. He It is obvious that he put a lot of his rage into the character of Anas, perhaps a little too transparent, a former rapper who teaches teenagers to talk about their daily difficulties while standing tall in front of those who dream of gag them. It’s a shame that the scenario is so predictable, especially in its last part, but the issue of the film lies elsewhere, in its reception in Muslim countries and autocracies.
Casablanca Beats (2021)
Haut et Fort
Directed by: Nabil Ayouch
Starring: Ismail Adouab, Nouhaila Arif, Samah Barigou, Abdelilah Basbousi, Anas Basbousi, Zineb Boujemaa, Meryem Nekkach, Mehdi Razzouk, Amina Kannan, Soufiane Belali, Marwa Kniniche
Screenplay by: Nabil Ayouch, Maryam Touzani
Production Design by: Rachid El Youssfi
Cinematography by: Amine Messadi, Virginie Surdej
Film Editing by: Marie-Hélène Dozo, Julia Gregory, Yassir Hamani
Music by: Fabien Kourtzer, Mike Kourtzer
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Ad Vitam
Release Date: July 18, 2021 (Cannes), November 3, 2021 (Morocco)
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