Friday, February 21, 2020

The craft of Ahmed Al-Bouanani




By Foad Zouirek

Some Moroccan directors played an important role in defining the features of "Moroccan cinema" after independence, especially the generation of pioneers who laid the foundations for the Moroccan film and built its features with its modest capabilities. Among them is the comprehensive creator, director, scriptwriter, model, writer, painter, poet, and actor Ahmed Al-Bouanani .

 Ahmed Al-Bouanani contributed in one way or another to producing a unique creative experience with holistic implications, which led to the creation of a multi-individual, who is able to give in many different fields (writing, packaging, directing, acting ...) at a time when the film scene was And creative in general, he suffers from a severe shortage of specialized Moroccan technicians and creators, and they were compensated by foreigners, and here I mean the post-colonial period, the period of construction and construction, and the likes of Ahmed Bouanani at that time compensated for this deficiency, in addition to their effective contribution to direct and indirect framing for technicians and Moroccan cadres, and  had certainly a positive impact on the creative and artistic arena.

Ahmed Al-Bouanani was known for his distinguished feature film, Al-Sarab, which reflects the personality of its owner, a movie that prompts you to discover the worlds of its director, the apparent and the inner, of it, a comprehensive, inclusive, and diverse film between the poetics of the place, the symbolism of time, the durability of dialogue, the aesthetics of the image, the dynamism of the story and the power of language .. A movie that depends on the intelligence of the recipient and his ability to decipher his symbols and formulate a cultural artistic formulation in the context of its relationship with the director's vision and his implicit speech ...

It was known that Ahmed Al-Bouanyani was out of the limelight throughout his artistic and cultural career, his self-denial and his constant pursuit of isolation and isolation, but his film `` the mirage '' exposes him, leaving researchers and those interested in gaining his personality, studying his psyche, identifying himself and his feelings through him.
The strong style of the film in packaging and installation, the process and spacetime of its events and dynamism, the poetic flow of the dialogue language, and the power of diagnosis ... factors that played a major role in the classification and recording of the film, one of the most important films in the history of Moroccan cinema.

The name Ahmed Al-Bouanyani will always remain a symbol of free creative integration, this true, sincere integration stemming from the depths of his human personality, and away from the heinous exploitation of his personal or material benefit, which may harm the noble goals of his pregnancy and his generation in a sensitive stage in which Morocco was living. We do not deny that there are such examples, especially from his contemporaries, but Ahmed Al-Bouanani remains the most prominent and influential example, especially among all of his ten friends and colleagues ... everyone is unanimous in his distinguished presence culturally, creatively and morally.

Ahmed El-Bouanyani first appeared in life in 1938 in Casablanca, at a time when Morocco was still under the yoke of colonialism, and perhaps this helped him build his humanly rebellious and culturally rebellious personality and diversified it with this amazing mix of art and creativity, something that provided him with multi-dimensional angles founded to see cinematic and artistic, and gave his personality a sincere aesthetic that helped him control his career and life, until the last breath of his life in 2011.

Like most Moroccan directors, Ahmed Al Bouânani, went to France to study cinema, and after graduation he worked at the Moroccan Film Center, and by virtue of his specialization in the field of packaging, this field had the largest share in most of the works that he worked on, he participated in several other films as either a director, actor or scriptwriter ... He also contributed to the accomplishment of a number of the most important Moroccan cinematographic films such as (“Washma” by Hamid Bennani, “Eh Ya Zaman” by Muhammad Al-Zayani, “The Treasure Preserved” by Muhammad Asfour, “From Al-Wad Lahyah” by Muhammad Abazi, 'Al-Kanfoudi' by Nabil El Helou ...).

Ahmed Al-Bouanaani individually directed a single feature length film, “The Mirage”, but his cinematic repertoire contains a good collection of short films and documentaries such as (“The Poet’s March” 1966, “Memory 14” 1971, “Children”). Sidi Ahmed Umousa (1977), The Four Sources (1978), The Birth of a Nation, 1981, Casablanca, The Outcome and Prospects (1982 ... and others).

The literary side of Ahmed Al-Bouanani did not remain locked in the inclusion of his office, or between the pages of his personal papers, but rather it was intended for actual participation in the journal `` Anfas '' that was among its editing members, or through direct interaction with readers through writing and publishing in a group of national publications .

Ahmed Al-Bouanyani, Diwanan Sha’aryan, “Windows Shutters” and “Futokram”, and one novel “The Hospital”, as he has an important book that has not been published yet on the history of cinema in Morocco.

In sum, Ahmed Al-Bouanani remains a tall cinematic and cultural stature of Morocco, who broke into all artistic and literary fields ... with his personal effort and excelled in it, and left an important creative impact after a busy march of giving, despite the policy of marginalization and exclusion that he was exposed to, especially in its early start.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Icarus by Sanaa El Alaoui



Icarus
Narrator
Ignac Radics
  
Written and directed by                                               Director of Photography

 Sanaa El Alaoui                                                             Arpad Purucski



 « Ne regrette jamais ta chute, O Icare du vol sans peur Pour la plus grande tragédie de tous Ne jamais sentir la lumière brûlante »
Oscar Wilde

Well                                                                                         Bien
Since i was 24 years                                                              Depuis que j'ai 24 ans
I roam the world with my bicycle                                       Je parcours le monde avec mon vélo
I am not able to pick up this rythma gain                         Je n'arrive plus à reprendre ce rythme
This life style that exists                                                      Ce style de vie qui existe
I do not have the proper education for it                        Je n'ai pas la bonne éducation pour ça
I will never have                                                                   Je n'aurai jamais
So                                                                                            Donc
I try to live like this…                                                           J'essaie de vivre comme ça…
I cant travel  long distances with it,                                Je peux parcourir de longues distances avec elle,
Most of the time,it is helpful,                                          La plupart du temps, c'est utile,
Why would  i have to walk as much as a roadrunner ?   Pourquoi devrais-je marcher autant qu'un oiseaux volant?
I do not want to end up like the other homeles.           Je ne veux pas finir comme les autres sans-abri
All of them are miserable or disabled ,                           Tous sont misérables ou handicapés,
It is sad to look at them                                                           C'est triste de les regarder
They are all wreckages                                                             Ce sont toutes des épaves

Homelessnes                                                                                sans-abri
Homelessness has become such an everyday sight for people,    Le sans-abrisme est devenu un spectacle quotidien pour les gens,
Like when someone is walking in the streets                 Comme quand quelqu'un marche dans les rues
And there is trash eveywhere around him.                      Et il y a des déchets partout autour de lui.
Well,these trash are countless people in this case .      Eh bien, ces ordures sont d'innombrables personnes dans ce cas.
Just like trash,                                                                             Tout comme les ordures,
These people have become a usual sight.                      Ces gens sont devenus un spectacle habituel
Unfortunately .                                                                    Malheureusement

A pilot                                                Un pilote
Since my childhood                      Depuis mon enfance
When we were first graders,       Quand nous étions élèves de première année,
There was a televsion series called ‘ Captain Pirx ‘  Il y avait une série télévisée intitulée «Captain Prix»
the racing car one                                     la voiture de course
At that point,i swore to myself .                À ce stade, je me suis juré.
Every adult would say                              Chaque adulte dirait
That you must be an engineer for it .    Que tu dois être ingénieur pour ça
You have to learn more…                     Vous devez en savoir plus
But i pushed myself and stayed admant on becoming one .  Mais je me suis poussé et je suis resté admiratif en devenant un
Ooh, living freely…                                            Ooh, vivre librement…
Until i was 18 years old ,i lived in enclosure              Jusqu'à 18 ans, j'habitais dans un enclos
I was closed in so much that i would not have believed  .  J'étais tellement fermé que je n'aurais pas cru.
That other than us there are more people in this world.          À part nous, il y a plus de monde dans cet univers .
Until the age of 18 in the state institute , Jusqu'à l'âge de 18 ans à l'institut d'État,
I was living between walls.                              Je vivais entre des murs.
I would have never thought that the world is like this.  Je n'aurais jamais pensé que le monde est comme ça.
When i wass in elementary school.          Quand j'étais à l'école primaire.
At the 7th grade .                                  En 7e année.
It was time to choose a career,            Il était temps de choisir une carrière,
And i was excited, « I want to be a pilot » .  Et j'étais excité, «je veux être pilote».
I want to be a pilot .                                    je veux être pilote.
A pilot,pilot ,pilot…»                                   Un pilote, pilote, pilote… »
And then,the head teacher told me,            Et puis, le chef d'établissement m'a dit:

Because i twas a state institute,                  Parce que je suis un institut d'État,
There were two choises  available .               Il y avait deux choix disponibles.
I could either become a miner or a locksmith… Je pourrais soit devenir mineur, soit serrurier…
And whar are those ?                               Et quels sont-ils?
GOD                                                            DIEU
To believe or not to believe …                     Croire ou ne pas croire…
The notion of God,                                     La notion de Dieu,
That is like,                                                    C'est comme,
If someone says «  a fairy »,                        Si quelqu'un dit «une fée»,
What is a fairy ?                                               Qu'est-ce qu'une fée?4
What is God ?                                                   Qu'est-ce que Dieu?
Who is that, what is that ?                      Qui est-ce, qu'est-ce que c'est?
God                                          Dieu
Is you him, me                              c'est toi , lui , moi …
I am God                                     Je suis Dieu .
He is God                                  Il est Dieu
We humans are God.                Nous les humains sommes Dieu
We humans,ourselves, are the one capable to create.             Nous, les humains, nous-mêmes, sommes capables de créer.
The notion of God does not exist .       La notion de Dieu n'existe pas.
You are your own God ,                      Tu es ton propre Dieu,
The God who helps you every day,    Le Dieu qui vous aide tous les jours, 

A friend.                                        un ami ..
Or a complete stranger,               Ou un parfait inconnu,
Who,when someone is fallen       Qui, quand quelqu'un est tombé
Or who  ends up in a particular situation                   Ou qui se retrouve dans une situation particulière
I go up to him,i try to help him as a human.   Je vais vers lui, j'essaie de l'aider en tant qu'humain.
This is what makes me a God.               C'est ce qui fait de moi un Dieu.
This is what makes all of us Gods .     C'est ce qui fait de nous tous des dieux.
This is why us humans have a special place in the Universe      C'est pourquoi nous, les humains, avons une place spéciale dans l'Univers     

Through our love .         Par notre amour.
Suicide                                      Suicide  

This has been a sickness of Hungary since decades,  Cela a été une maladie de la Hongrie depuis des décennies,   
We have a serious past for this .  Nous avons un passé sérieux pour cela.    
We are a leading country concerning suicide rates.  Nous sommes un pays leader en matière de taux de suicide.
The Hungarian nation is a really sentimental nation. La nation hongroise est une nation vraiment sentimentale.
We are a heartbroken nation unfortunately. Nous sommes malheureusement une nation au cœur brisé.
And a nation that is not heartbroken will not undertand.  Et une nation qui n'a pas le cœur brisé ne comprendra pas.
When someone's soul is hurt by a lie ,    Quand l'âme de quelqu'un est blessée par un mensonge,                              
A deception or a scam. Une tromperie ou une arnaque.
Because whena human's soul is damaged, Parce que quand une âme humaine est endommagée,
It drastically changes the mentality and behaviour. Cela change radicalement la mentalité et le comportement.
Simply,the soul becomes terribly disappointed . Simplement, l'âme devient terriblement déçue.
This is like the check mate in chess. C'est comme le compagnon de contrôle aux échecs.
If someone has a weaker mental state, Si quelqu'un a un état mental plus faible,
That person will fall , die. Cette personne va tomber, mourir.
Or                                 ou
If that person does not die, he mutilitates himself. Si cette personne ne meurt pas, elle se mutile.
which is a sin.                      qui est un péché
You have to stand your ground . Vous devez tenir bon.
This is not a fairy tale . This is not a fairy tale .

This is the essence of life .                    C'est l'essence de la vie.
We are not afraid of anything.                 Nous n'avons peur de rien.
This is the point .                                    C'est le point .
The weak ones fall in the animal world too. Les faibles tombent aussi dans le monde animal.
HAPPINESS                                          LE BONHEUR
I do not know such a thing as happiness . Je ne connais pas le bonheur. Parce que le bonheur n'existe pas ici sur Terre.
Happiness,                                     Le bonheur ,
I would call it rather satisafction. Je dirais que c'est plutôt de la satisfaction.
We can olny talk about this here on Earth. Nous ne pouvons en parler que sur Terre.
For me , the biggest satisfaction , Pour moi, la plus grande satisfaction,
Is when i do not meet any policeman. C'est quand je ne rencontre aucun policier.
No one mocks me ,             Personne ne se moque de moi,
No one humiliates me,             Personne ne m’humilie,
No one dehumanizes me,          Personne ne me déshumanise
I i survive the day without these things, that is satisfaction. Je survis la journée sans ces choses, c'est la satisfaction.
Although, i still have to hide while moving around. Bien que je doive toujours me cacher en me déplaçant.
It blows my mind .                                     C'est impressionnant .
In conclusion,for me,the best feeling is,       En conclusion, pour moi, le meilleur sentiment est,
When i go to beda t the end of the day     Quand je vais me coucher à la fin de la journée .
And i can say tht i am satisfied with today .       Et je peux dire que je suis satisfait aujourd'hui.

Ignac spent his childhood in a state instiution,without a family or any connection point with the outside world.At 18 years old,he was entisted in the army .
Ignac a passé son enfance dans une institution d'État, sans famille ni aucun lien avec le monde extérieur. À 18 ans, il a été enrôlé dans l'armée.
After the death of Janos Kadar,he found himself on the streets with all of his old institute friends.Since then , 30years have passed,nothing has changed in thier lives
Après la mort de Janos Kadar, il s'est retrouvé dans la rue avec tous ses anciens amis de l'institut. Depuis, 30 ans se sont écoulés, rien n'a changé dans leur vie.
Ignac fights with the elements and authorities on a daily basis.He started as a street musicain,but the society and the laws rendered him a beggar.
 Ignac se bat au quotidien avec les éléments et les autorités, il a commencé comme musicien de rue, mais la société et les lois l'ont rendu mendiant.
He could never find his place in Hungary.With his only companion,his bicycle,he is in constant search for new destinations, hoping that someday he will find his place in this world.
Il n'a jamais pu trouver sa place en Hongrie. Avec son seul compagnon, son vélo, il est constamment à la recherche de nouvelles destinations, espérant qu'un jour il trouvera sa place dans ce monde.







            







Sunday, February 02, 2020

The aesthetics of the film documentary by Habib Nasry .





Written by Habib Nasry .

Documentary Aesthetics (Critical Body) book. A journey in memory of many documentaries. Belonging to many humanitarian geo-cultural sensitivities, it is an initial part of the summary of documentary films that I have followed and watched. On roll occasions. Views here and there. And permanent travel to some Moroccan cities, as president of the jury. As a member of it, or as a participant in a seminar of intellectual symposia, or as a framer of a workshop. Or as a coordinator and member of a group of scientific research teams interested in employing the image in entrenching values ​​and building learning. Or as a writer of some documentary film works, etc., of course, without forgetting, My associative concerns (as founder of the International Documentary Film Festival of Khouribga and the Moroccan Chamber of Documentary Filmmakers in Rabat, and the Association of Image Sound in Casablanca.) Etc.

This love of the image, and of cinema in general, and of documentary in particular, has made me approach to some extent, over decades, some documentary film problems (theoretically and analytically). In the hands of you, dear reader, dear reader, in the hope that I will contribute to bridging a wide hole in the field of documentary film criticism, especially at the level of our wounded Arab homeland.

section One:
A theoretical section, I addressed it with theoretical body parts, in which I presented and addressed some of the theoretical and conceptual issues that pertain to the documentary. .

Section Two:
A section, I called it research parts. The parts were discussed in many documentary film topics, the university between theoretical sense and the other analytical. And it has been, "important" to read it within this title: research pieces, which is a small scientific research sample, related to how to work on the documentary from this angle Primary scientific research.

Section Three:
A section, presented within the title, analytical fragments, through which many documentary films, belonging to many human experiences and visions, were analyzed, intentionally, geo-political belonging, and attended the human aesthetic affiliation, and the reason, that the documentary unites breaths and concerns, and achieves pleasure The view, even if it falls under the 'pain lattice' box.
The whole, among all these theoretical, conceptual, research, and analytical pieces, is research in the aesthetics of the documentary film, starting from a set of semiotic and aesthetic references ... etc. and what it accumulated from a modest experience in the field of reading and writing in the field of the image as a whole. Present and exuberant aesthetics in all documentaries The analyst, even if he is in front of documentary films dealing with social issues that are allowed from the system of oppression, and throughout this wounded and burdened Arab nation, the concerns of political policy, or even from outside it.

In addition to this section, and for its introduction this guide, and its conclusion with a conclusion, an important question was asked about it, related to what we have after the journey of writing about documentary films that we saw in different documentary film spaces inside and outside Morocco, this book has been appended along many of its axes and its end, with a set of images accompanied by mentioning its sources, list of paper and film references, etc.

Finally, I wish a pleasant and useful reading of this writing / shredded pieces from the memory of oblivion.


May 1st, 2019 Khouribga / Mohammedia (Morocco)