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THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES

Asmae El Moudir
MA EG SA QA 2023    96'
⚬ History ⚬ Human Interest 

Synopsis

On a handmade set recreating her Casablanca neighborhood, young Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir enlists family and friends to help solve the troubling mysteries of her childhood. There, she starts to unravel the layers of deception and intentional forgetting that have shaped her life.

Quotes

"riveting, inventive" - IndieWire

"fresh, distinctive" - Screen Daily

"astonishing, heartrending" - Variety

Credits

Director

Asmae El Moudir

Producer

Asmae El Moudir

Co-Producer

Mark Lotfy

Production Companies

Insightfilms, Fig Leaf Studio

Cinematography

Hatem Nechi

Editor

Asmae El Moudir

Music 

Nass El Ghiwane

Sound

Abdelaziz Glassine, Michael Fawzy

Set Design

Mohamed El Moudir

"riveting, inventive" - IndieWire

 

"a brave act of rebellion" - POV Magazine

 

"astonishing, heartrending" - Variety

 

"fresh, distinctive" - Screen Daily

 

“Beautifully made, atmospheric… Courageous but at the same time very risky" - Business Doc Europe

 

"Stunning... Rich... Innovative storytelling" - Awards Watch

 

"An innovative cinematic work filled with enchanting imagination" - Al Jazeera Online

 

"Daring... Innovative and startling. An impressive start to a promising filmmaking career." - Filmuforia

 

"An inspired Moroccan documentary… Inventive and moving" - The Hollywood Reporter

 

"Brilliantly and heartbreakingly explores tragic events from before director Asmae El Moudir's birth." - Universal Cinema

 

"Unusual and affecting" - In Their Own League

 

"powerful" - Next Best Picture

 

"unique" - The Curb

 

"Challenges traditions, passed down stories, and hidden secrets while tackling a relevant political issue that shaped generations." - My Dylarama

 

"A fascinating hybrid of documentary and feature filmmaking... An intriguing, original amalgamation of the historical and the deeply personal, and a tonally finely-tuned piece of investigative, journalistic filmmaking." - The Upcoming

 

"consistently interesting and often hauntingly beautiful" - The Film Verdict

 

Awards

Directing Prize Un Certain Regard

Cannes 2023

The Golden Eye Documentary Prize

Cannes 2023

Sydney Film Festival Prize

Sydney Film Festival 2023

Best Documentary

Durban Film Festival 2023

Jury Award

Valenciennes Film Festival 2023

Golden Athena Award

Athens International Film Festival 2023

Audience Award

DOK Leipzig 2023

Documentary Extraordinaire

Bergen International Film Festival 2023

Audience Award

SEMINCI Valladolid IFF 2023

Student Award

Cinemed 2023

Cinematography Award

DOC NYC 2023

University Jury Award

Medfilm Festival 2023

Artistic Expression Award

Medfilm Festival 2023

Valentina Pedicini Award

Medfilm Festival 2023

Golden Key Award

Kassel Dokfest 2023

Étoile d’Or

Marrakech International Film Festival 2023

Best Director

IDA Documentary Awards 2023

Best International Film

MIDBO International Film Festival 2023

Critics Prize

Black Movie Festival 2024

Best Documentary

International Cinephile Society Awards 2024

American Cinematographer Magazine Award

Salem Film Fest 2024

Grand Jury Documentary Award

Movies That Matter Festival 2024

Golden Circle Best Documentary Award

Festival cinéma du monde de Sherbrooke 2024

 

Festivals

Cannes Un Certain Regard 2023

Sydney FF 2023

Karlovy Vary IFF 2023

Durban IFF 2023

Melbourne IFF 2023

Toronto IFF 2023

Vancouver IFF 2023

DOK Leipzig 2023

Athens IFF 2023

IDFA 2023

DOC NYC 2023

Festival do Rio 2023

Jio Mami Mumbai FF 2023

Sundance Film Festival 2024 

CPH:DOX 2024

Hong Kong IFF 2024

Festival dei Popoli 2023

Marrakech FF 2023

Taipei Golden Horse FF 2023

Singapore IFF 2023 

Human Rights FF Berlin 2023

Festival dei Popoli 2023

Festival des Libertes 2023

DocPoint Helsinki 2024

Millennium Docs Against Gravity FF 2024

One World FF 2024

 

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Film Details

Runtime 96'
Spoken Language Arabic
Production Countries Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar

Biography

Asmae El Moudir is a Moroccan director, screenwriter and producer. She holds a master's degree in directing and a bachelor's degree in documentary from the University of Rabat and the National Film School of Morocco. She also studied cinema at LA FEMIS in Paris. Asmae has directed several award-winning short films. She completed her Al Jazeera television documentary, THE POSTCARD, in 2020. THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES is her first independent hybrid documentary. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, where it won the Best Director award in the Un Certain Regard section, as well as the Golden Eye for Best Documentary. THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES was also selected in the International features section of the Oscars and screened at TIFF, Sundance, Karlovy Vary and numerous festivals around the world. Asmae has been nominated for both the PGA Award and the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Film. More recently, she won the IDA Award for Best Director.

Presskit

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