The Atlantic, an Ocean of Opportunities

School of Hope

December 2020 •Arabic

In the vast expanse of desert East of Atlas Mountains in Morocco, seasonal rain and snow once supported livestock, but now the drought seems to never end. Hardly a blade of grass can be seen, and families travel miles on foot to get water from a muddy hole in the ground. Yet the children willingly ride donkeys and bicycles or walk for miles across rocks to a "school of hope" built of clay. Following both the students and the teachers in the Oulad Boukais Tribe's community school for over three years, SCHOOL OF HOPE shows students Mohamed, Miloud, Fatima, and their classmates, responding with childish glee to the school's altruistic young teacher, Mohamed. Each child faces individual obstacles - supporting their aging parents; avoiding restrictions from relatives based on traditional gender roles - while their young teacher makes do in a house with no electricity or water.

The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days in Hell

June 2019 •English

On the morning of June 6, 1944, thousands of ships reached the French coast of Normandy as part of an Allied operation to take back France from the Germans. For the next 85 days, U.S., British, and Canadian soldiers engaged in conflicts of unimaginable violence, conquering and liberating the region's cities, but at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. From the D-Day invasion to the final Nazi surrender in Argentan, this is the definitive story of the three-month Battle of Normandy as it's never been seen before.

Romancero marroquí

July 1939 •Spanish

The young farmer Aalami leaves his family to find work elsewhere. He gets to know the country and its people, customs and traditions at Küste in North Africa: Market life in Tetuan, the art of craftsmanship, the life of the Moors, dances and festivities in honour of the caliph, white mosques, the call of the muezzin of the minaret and the music of the shepherd flutes. Aalami also follows Franco's call and flies from Morocco to Spain to fight at Bürgerkrieg. In the end Aalami comes back to his wife and children.

The Moroccan Labyrinth

November 2007 •Spanish

Morocco from Above

June 2017 •French

Yann Arthus-Bertrand flew over Morocco with his cameras and asked the journalist Ali Baddou to write and record the comment.

Hashish

October 2002 •English

A small village high up in the mountains of Ketama, Northern Morocco. The life of the people here has been shaped by the drug hashish for centuries. Hashish as daily work, hash as exchange currency, hashish as business, hashish as basis and philosophy of a social system, hashish as medium for dreams and hashish as reason for stagnation.

Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine

October 2014 •English

An intimate portrait of Matthew Shepard, the gay young man murdered in one of the most notorious hate crimes in U.S. history. Framed through a personal lens, it's the story of loss, love, and courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

October 2009 •English

The story of a little loggerhead turtle, as she follows in the path of her ancestors on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world. Born on a beach in Florida, she rides the Gulf Stream up towards the Arctic and ultimately swims around the entire North Atlantic across to Africa and back to the beach where she was born. But the odds are stacked against her; just one in ten thousand turtles survive the journey.

Southern Border

January 2003 •Spanish

On the border, the line as principle of property and belonging reaches an extreme dimension where it physically defines the sphere of its relations. Those who transgress it reconstruct these imaginary lines on a daily basis, redefining the traditional geography and occupying the non-spaces where others live in a temporary form of existence. These others, the non-citizens, are phantasmtic, exchangeable parts of a flexible market. Made invisible, they are permanently controlled persons. Under the pretext of a greater civilian security, they are kept clear from the public spaces reserved for the citizens with rights and pushed into non-public spaces, which are run by state and military surveillance, multinational operations servicing a European market and non-governmental organisations.

Pythéas, l'astronome voyageur

November 2013 •French

Le parcours d'un roi - Le Maroc de Mohammed VI

October 2024 •French

On July 30, 2024, Mohamed VI celebrates the 25th anniversary of his reign in style. Who is this so-called secret monarch? How did he gradually impose his vision and projects?

Khaïma

March 2023 •Arabic

My Octopus Teacher

September 2020 •English

After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal.

Impact

December 2014 •Icelandic

On Christmas Eve in 1986, an Icelandic cargo ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the eleven men on board, five lived. This is the remarkable story of the heroic rescue mission that brought them home.

The Cable That Changed the World

August 2024 •English

The first transatlantic communications cable, traversing the ocean floor from Valentia Island, County Kerry, to Newfoundland, Canada, 165 years ago was an 8 year endeavor that helped lay the foundation of the modern technology industry and explains the fragility of undersea cables today.

Zwaj El Waqt

April 2017 •Arabic

Zwaj El Waqt explores the themes of love and marriage in Morocco. Told through the testimonies of diverse couples, it tackles the issues of relationships, social media, control and sexuality in a conservative society that still struggles to discuss freely about those topics.

Voyages au centre de la Terre : Dans les pas de Jules Verne

October 2023 •French

Once ... Agadir

January 1971 •English

This short-length documentary takes us to Agadir, a city in Morocco that was struck by an earthquake in 1960. The film, made by an expatriate Moroccan who lost family and friends in the disaster, is a memorial to that tragedy and to the past he left behind when he came to North America. Partly allegorical, it employs varying techniques to offset reality from fantasy sequences.

DAWN OF THE MOROCCAN FITNESS

November 2023 •Arabic

Dawn Of The Moroccan Fitness is an inspiring documentary by Abdelillah Habbat Idrissi. Through engaging interview formats, Idrissi imparts valuable lessons to Moroccan youth, showcasing that perseverance and finding the right path are timeless pursuits. A heartfelt thank you is extended to the individuals who shared their testimonies in the documentary. Their presence adds depth and authenticity to the narrative, creating a powerful connection with the audience. Additionally, gratitude is expressed to all those who contributed directly to the realization of this documentary. Their efforts and support played a crucial role in bringing "Dawn Of The Moroccan Fitness" to light, making it a meaningful and impactful exploration of life's journey.

L'Orientalisme

August 2019 •French

Orientalism is a literary and artistic movement born in Western Europe in the 18th century. Through its scale and popularity, throughout the 19th century, it marked the interest and curiosity of artists and writers for the countries of the West (the Maghreb) or the Levant (the Middle East). Orientalism was born from the fascination of the Ottoman Empire and followed its slow disintegration and the progression of European colonizations. This exotic trend is associated with all the artistic movements of the 19th century, academic, romantic, realistic or even impressionist. It is present in architecture, music, painting, literature, poetry... Picturesque aesthetics, confusing styles, civilizations and eras, orientalism has created numerous clichés and clichés that we still find today in literature or cinema.