Bouchra, a 35-year-old queer artist from Morocco living in New York, is haunted by her greatest fear — the blank page. A phone call with her mother, a cardiologist living in Casablanca, triggers a flood of memories. Their tender yet complex conversation sparks a creative awakening that leads Bouchra to explore family bonds, her relationship with her mother, and the exhilaration of love. Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Bouchra is a unique blend of animation, documentary techniques, and inventive narrative structure — an intimate, heartfelt story about family, identity, and self-discovery.
SUBTITLES: EN, HR
Orian Barki (Israel, 1985) lives and works in New York. She has directed short documentaries and commercials featured on ESPN, PBS, Vogue, Dazed Magazine, and others.
Meriem Bennani (Morocco, 1988) is a Moroccan artist based in New York. She works across film, sculpture, and immersive installations, and has exhibited her work at MoMA PS1, the Guggenheim Museum, Art Dubai, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, among others. Her films have been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and elsewhere.
Director: Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
Screenplay: Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani, Ayla Mrabet
Cast: Meriem Bennani, Yto Barrada, Orian Barki, Ariana Faye Allensworth, Salima Dhaibi
Director of photography: John Michael Boling
Animation: Jason Coombs
Editing: Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
Production: 2 Lizards Production, Hi Production, Fondazione Prada
Festivals and awards: Toronto International Film Festival 2025; New York Film Festival 2025
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