Horizons of Arab Cinema · 46th Edition
Goundafa, The Cursed Song
Goundafa, The cursed Song
Director
Ali Benjelloun
Country
Morocco
Runtime
1 h 36 min
Language
Arabic
Premiere
World Premiere
Synopsis
In a small village in Goundafa, Morocco’s High Atlas region, Said, Brahim, and Omar play music, dreaming of success and fame, while Fadma and the village women work the land with songs. The arrival of a new conservative imam gradually sows trouble and divides the community. His influence pushes some to deny their Amazigh identity, while others choose to rebel.
Cast
Fatima Attif, Farouk Aznabet, Farouk Aznabet, Karima Gouit, Aziz Dheouir, Zahia Ez-Zahery
Screenplay
Hassan Benjelloun – Ali Benjelloun
Producers
Hassan Benjelloun
About the Director
Son of a producer-director, Ali grew up on Casablanca film sets. After earning a Master’s in cinematography in France, he worked as a director of photography on features, documentaries, and TV fiction, learning from diverse directors. He directed "Paths of refugees", a documentary on political refugees, before turning to fiction shorts. "Goundafa, The Cursed Song" is his first feature film.
Screenings