Nabil Ayouch

Nabil Ayouch born 1 April 1969 is a FrancoMoroccan television and film director producer and writer His films have screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival Ayouch was born in 1969 in Paris to a Moroccan father Noureddine Ayouch and a French mother of TunisianJewish descent His brother is fellow director Hicham Ayouch After his parents divorce he spent a large part of his childhood in the suburb of Sarcelles visiting Casablanca in the summers Ayouch cites discovering international cinema at the local cultural center Forum des Cholettes as inspiring his filmmaking career Ayouch started his career as a scriptwriter and director with the advertising agency EuroRSCG In 1992 he directed Les Pierres bleues du désert a first short film with Jamel Debbouze which tells the history of a young man convinced that there are large blue stones in the desert In 1993 Ayourch ended up settling in Casablanca where he directed two short films Hertzienne Connexion 1993 and Vendeur de silence 1994 for which he received international recognition In 1997 Ayouch directed his first feature film Mektoub which represented Morocco at the Oscars He also directed the feature films Une Minute de soleil en moins 2003 and Whatever Lola Wants 2008 produced by Pathé In 1999 Ayouch created a production company called Ali nProductions to aid aspiring young directors in establishing their careers He won the Ecumenical Award in 2000 in the Montreal World Film Festival for his film Ali Zaoua Prince of the Streets Ayouch is set to produce the FrenchMoroccan thriller film Mirages Ayouchs 2012 film Horses of God is based on Mahi Binebines novel The Stars of Sidi Moumen In Horses of God Ayouch explores the radicalization that can occur from poverty and extreme machismo alluding to the 2003 Casablanca bombings The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival It was also Moroccos submission for the 85th Academy Awards held in February 2013 In 2021 Ayouchs film Casablanca Beats was selected for the 74th Cannes Film Festival competition In February 2025 Ayouch joined the competition jury at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival presided over by Todd Haynes Ayouch is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures the Académie des Césars and the Arab Film Academy Ayouchs film Much Loved which takes place in Marrakesh caused a stir due to its unsimulated sex scenes especially the scene where Loubna Abidar performed an unsimulated fellatio on a man The movie was ultimately banned in Morocco Ayouch works and lives in Casablanca He is married to fellow Moroccan filmmaker and actress Maryam Touzani Source Article Nabil Ayouch from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA