Zohra: A Moroccan Fairy Tale

Director Barney Platts-Mills, Unanimously invited by Cannes Critics Week, Winner of the Golden Leopard & ScreenWriters Guild Award is back after 27 years with an love poem to Morocco. Official Selection for its World Premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR 2011) Zohra: A Moroccan Fairytale (2011), is a portrait of ZOHRA, a 14-year old village girl in Morocco who lives a simple rural life of routine. She is oblivious to an existence other than what she knows. But when she is pressured to marry an older wealthier man, Zohra starts questioning her desires. Soon she meets 17-year old runaway IBRAHIM, who is hiding in the village waiting to take an illegal boat to Spain. Ibrahim offers Zohra a dream that is everything: exciting, adventurous, romantic and unfamiliar. Stormy weather delays Ibrahim's voyage and the young couple share a fugitive love affair, dreaming of running away together before reality intrudes. This heavily influenced Neo-Realistic Oriental tale reflects on the conflicts between the older generation's traditions and young peoples' romanticism. The film also examines the immigration of Moroccan young people to Spain, who are lured with the prospect of living a better life. Weaving reality with youthful daydreams, veteran director Barney Platts-Mills brings to life a fairytale, which is very real.