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Tafilet – A journey with Kamal Hachkar

This short film was created in 2023 during my final year of high school as part of my Cinema specialty for the baccalaureate. The theme was “encounter,” and I chose to make a documentary about cultural encounters. Being French but having lived abroad my whole life, I wanted to explore themes of dual identity, exile, and belonging.

The central figure in the short film is Kamal Hachkar, a documentary filmmaker, well-known for his work Tinghir-Jerusalem. He took me to his hometown, Tinghir, in the Drâa-Tafilalet region of Morocco. By following him, the documentary delves into the themes I wanted to address. Kamal also introduced me to two other artists featured in the film: Aissa Joud and Omar Jedi.

While making this documentary, I reflected on the nature of documentaries themselves, especially on how to tackle a broad subject by focusing on an individual’s story. Aesthetically, I paid special attention to avoid orientalism and stereotypes, shooting mainly with a handheld camera for an intimate feel. Sound recording was done with the help of Sara Sefrioui.