August 20: The Blue Caftan

This week’s film is The Blue Caftan, directed by Maryam Touzani.

Mina and her husband Halim run a small business making and selling bespoke caftans in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. Halim is a master of his trade, and Mina a canny saleswoman, though their wares don’t come cheap and traditional dress is falling out of favour.

Woven with exquisite care, this award-winning drama reveals a beautiful love triangle in a small Moroccan town (where gay relations are forbidden). The film explores a complex marriage with tenderness and grace in a sincere and superbly performed film that unfolds in unexpected and heartening ways.

More about the director

Maryam Touzani is known for her films that explore complex emotional themes and human relationships, and The Blue Caftan is no different. It was released just last year to critical acclaim and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

Before The Blue Caftan, Touzani had directed two short films, one documentary, and three feature-length films, including:

• Casablanca Beats (2021): A former rapper teaches hip-hop music to students in an underprivileged Moroccan neighbourhood.

• Adam (2019): When a young pregnant woman knocks on the door of a widow in Casablanca, both of their lives change forever.

• Razzia (2017): Five Moroccans are pushed to the fringes in Casablanca by an extremist government

Don’t miss The Blue Caftan, showing 20 August at 7pm for all IFS members at the Gala Cinema!