The Moroccan film “The Mother of All Lies” has made history by being the first-ever recipient of the Marrakech Film Festival’s Étoile D’Or (Golden Star).
“The Mother of All Lies,” Asmae El Moudir’s hybrid documentary, was also Morocco’s official application for the Best International Feature category at the 2024 Oscars.
Through the use of a model and figurines, the film creatively looks into her family’s troubled past and Morocco’s history during the “Years of Lead” under King Hassan II, tackling the constraints of restricted historical video.
The story develops against the backdrop of Casablanca’s ruthlessly suppressed “hunger riots” in June 1981.
Director El Moudir, who won Morocco’s first Etoile d’Or, expressed her excitement at being the first director of her origin to win the prize in 20 years, according to Africa News.
“I’m very, very happy to receive the first Etoile d’or for Morocco. I’m not talking about myself today, I’ve already talked about myself and my film at all the festivals where I’ve won seventeen 17 prizes. Today is the 18th, and what 18th! For the 20th edition (of the festival, Eds.), we’ve got our first Etoile, it’s still 20 years, but we’ve got it, we’ve got it.”
“Every society has a truth that’s been buried, burned, redacted and erased,” said jury president Jessica Chastain upon announcing the top prize. “But by a collective remembrance, we preserve the stories that cannot be undone… In this courageous director hands, we don’t just discover the truth, we are made complicit in its resurrection in equal parts pain and healing.”
“This film creates its own genre and introduces a great new voice in cinema,” Chastain added.
The Jury Prize was awarded to Kamal Lazraq for “Hounds” and Lina Soualem for “Bye Bye Tibériade,” a documentary on actress Hiam Abbass.
Ramata-Toulaye Sy, a French-Senegalese director, won Best Director for her debut film “Banel & Adama” at the festival’s 20th edition.
Bosnian actress Asja Zara Lagumdzija was named Best Actress for her work in “Excursion,” while Turkish actor Doga Karakas was named Best Actor for his work in “Dormitory.”
The festival’s climax, which lasted from November 24 to December 2, emphasized “sobriety” in the midst of the ongoing fighting in Gaza.