Original subtitles

Basma

Société de Production et de Recherche Cinematographique

presents

ABOUT SOME MEANINGLESS EVENTS

Aïcha Saâdoun - Abdellatif Nour

Mohamed Derham - Abbas Fassi-Fihri

Salah-Eddine Benmoussa - Hamid Zoughi

Abdelkader Moutaâ - Mostafa Dziri

Malika El Mesrar - Chafik Shimi

Omar Chenbout - Khalid Jamaï

Mustapha Essayed - Mahmoud Essaâdi

Larbi Alaoui - Abdelaziz Tahiri

Tahar Asbahani - Mostafa Nissabouri

Abderrahmane Chafik - Fofana

Mohamed Batal - Mohamed Jabia

A. Khair - Abderrahman Jabia

Brahim Harakat - A. Alami

Ch. Ammi - M. Zaidan

Mohamed Zefzaf - T. Khadija

M. Sonbati - S. Sakina

Mohamed Jabrane - A. Hamid

Nadia Nour - A. Taoussi

Larbi Belakkaf - S. Abdallah

Production Contributors: The Artist Painters

Mohamed Melehi - Miloud Labied

Mohamed Chabaâ - Mohamed Kacimi

L. El Bekkay - Mohamed Hamidi

Karim Bennani - Mustapha Hafid

Abdallah Hariri - Anna Hafid

Larbi Belkadi

Production Support: Larbi Essakalli - Mohamed Ziani

H. Benbrahim - Abdelhamid Dziri

Abdelaziz Khaldi - Noureddine Gounejjar

Hamid Benchérif - Ahmed Aimad

Benaïssa El Fassi - Driss El Khoury

Noureddine Saïl - M. El Mrabet

M. Jamaleddine - M. Benchekroun

Abderrahman Belmahjoub - Hamid Zoughi

Production Directors:

Larbi Belakkaf - Abderrahman Khayat

Abdelkrim Derkaoui - Mostafa Derkaoui

Mostafa Dziri - Noureddine Gounejjar

He gave me a sebsi that I didn't want to smoke.

He took it personally, thinking I didn't want to share.

So I smoked it and they began to...

- What are you saying? - Nothing, I was just talking to him.

There was a big guy at the door, he was wearing a kitchen apron.

I was lucky they didn't stab me with a knife.

Even women have knives on them, you know.

Like the one on her breast... A dagger tattoo!

Director of Photography:

Mohamed Abdelkrim Derkaoui

Written, Directed and Edited by

Mostafa Derkaoui

Stop!

Stop! Stop! Stop!

Mostafa, come here!

We agreed that he is supposed to talk.

What do you want me to do? I told him to do so.

- Where are the actors? - You told them not to come.

Did I?

That's what they told me. I went to look for them, one by one.

I realized they haven't been paid.

Where is Aïcha?

We'll have to start from the beginning.

- What do you think of me now? - Allah! Allah!

- Did you shave your beard? - You asked me to.

When we were filming you before... Okay, no big deal.

Next time, you'll ask me to shave my head and you'll blame me for it.

Or because I let my beard grow... And you'll ask me why!

Even if you paid me... What do you care?

It's theatre which makes you talk like this...

- Aïcha, it's your fault. - What did I do?

Come, Salah Eddine, come, my brother.

- Okay. I should stand there, right? - Right.

Okay, Yuness will be shooting later. They're all upset.

No, no, no. It's the atmosphere. They need to calm down...

- Mostafa! - Yes.

I need your help.

You know this place full well.

- What's the name of that extra? - Abdellatif.

Not in front of Salah Eddine. I want one next to Ibrahim, and the other...

and all these people...

Excuse me, do you have...

- We need three microphones. - What?

We need three microphones.

Everything is okay with your questions, right, Mostafa?

Put three here.

- Three? - Yes.

You and you, go that way, please.

- Hamid, take him there! - Who? Abdellatif?

Abdellatif! Abdellatif, come here right away.

Are you Hamid or Abdellatif?

Abdellatif, come here! - Mister Abdellah!

- Three here... two down there. - What two?

- Wait a minute.

- Quiet... Quiet...

Camera... - Rolling!

It's 2 am! Are you sure that he'll come?

Sure! Yesterday, I came at 3 o'clock and he was still there.

He'll come...

And he didn't pour my drink...

That's it! Drinks are mixed up! Where's mine? Where's yours?

You ate all the peanuts and I didn't complain.

That's your drink, take it!

Was he going to kiss you, Fatna?

- No, that's my drink! - No, it's the other one!

Let him swallow all this beer if he wants to.

Look at him! He looks awful.

- There's our friend... - Who? Our guy?

He was provoking me.

He followed me to the pinball game.

He followed me to the jukebox... He followed me to the bathroom!

Then he grabbed me by the shirt...

Bless you, Mister Saïd!

- We are honored by your visit. - Thank you, I'd like a...

I'd like a soda.

- A soda? - Yes, a soda.

- What? - A soda.

- Which one? - Judor.

Do you really have the money? Are you making fun of me?

No, I just came here for a drink. Then, I'll go.

You should shave your...

My beard? But I look good like this!

I don't want to wax my shoes.

No, I won't do it!

That's fine.

- They're going to sue the vulnerable! - Let them say whatever they want...

I told you that there is so much...

I wrote you down some of them...

I don't want to wax them! Leave me alone.

Waiter, clients... Everybody should get drunk in this cafe!

Even the shoeshine-boy. Get him drunk and throw him out!

Kick him out.

- I was drunk once. - Where? In Casablanca?

- No. - Where, then?

- In Tangier. - Go away! You got drunk in the Strait!

God bless your parents! Tell him!

Give me some water. You don't give any tapas. No water, too.

We give a glass of water with every glass of red wine.

Give me the water! Can't you see my glass of red wine?

Give me a glass of water!

- There you have the bottle! - I don't want this water!

I don't want it at all!

I'm never coming back to this bar.

Give me some water or it's over. You want me to say it in French?

Can I have a glass of water, please? Please!

Electricity or water...

If you want to wax my shoes, you need to be more presentable.

Do you smoke? Do you want to smoke?

But I need a glass of water!

I want some water so I can mix it with my red wine.

You want me to wax your shoes?

My red wine, yes! Go ahead.

Do you want me to wax your shoes, Sir?

Do I have to speak to you in French too?

Leave me alone... Leave me alone

You see, they're provoking me... No! You shut up, beat it

I don't want more beer, give me a soda.

Give me a beer, I tell you!

They're insane! I don't want to fight, I swear!

- Give me a glass of water. - There you have it. Your water.

This water is not clean. I don't want it! I don't want it!

Give me a beer, please. I'm beginning to sober up.

This bottle of water is hiding the microphone!

- If I move it, you'll see it! - I have money, I do...

- Give me some water. - I have money to pay.

You have my coat, too. Keep it as a guarantee!

He thinks he can curb me! I'll have my water anyway!

I'll have some water before I drink more wine.

Excuse me, we are doing some interviews about Moroccan cinema.

Thank you for your question but... I think that cinema is...

So, Moroccan cinema is... well, I like it...

This is why I go to cinema to watch Moroccan films.

Especially, the ones made by Abdelwahab Doukkali.

I enjoyed them a lot.

I live the adventure in a film. I care less about the social issues.

- What's your job? - I'm a civil servant at the city hall.

We have to interview older people, too. Not just kids...

- They're just kids. - There's one.

Excuse me, Sir.

- May we interview you? - Yes, that's fine.

We are asking questions about cinema. Do you go to the cinema?

I work a lot and I don't have time to go to the cinema.

The truth is I haven't seen any cinema yet.

- You are talking about our national cinema.

You have never seen a Moroccan film? - No, not yet.

- What about foreign films? - Yes, I've seen some of them...

Nevertheless, no Moroccan films. I have to admit it. We're still far behind.

We are working in order to create a Moroccan cinema

Instead of thinking about cinema, you should work on other things.

What, for example?

- Like the unemployed people. - We would talk about it on our films.

- Call me when you are going to do your film. I'll answer you.

- What's your name? - Ahmed Taoussi.

What do you think about Moroccan cinema? We're doing a film.

- What should it talk about? - Our problems, our social issues.

Morocco is full of problems. There're no lucid films about it.

Or maybe they're too intellectual for regular people.

Or they say obvious things that everybody knows.

But we don't have any films which force us to think about our problems.

We're asking everybody what do they think about cinema in general,

and Moroccan cinema in a more specific way.

Moroccan cinema should be committed to the working class problems.

This is not just a Moroccan issue, it concerns the whole Third World cinema.

We can see that on films made by Latin American young filmmakers.

I don't want Moroccan cinema to look like Egyptian cinema.

Commercial cinema...

Entertainment cinema... There is a term employed in the theatre... Intimism...

Intimate cinema.

I don't want this cinema neither

I'd prefer a cinema which plays an important role

in cultural education or raising awareness of regular spectators,

so they can get used to a certain kind of cinema...

Do you have another question?

What would be the subjects that we should deal with?

I think that you should talk especially about political issues...

that are facing, as I said before, the working class masses, workers...

Issues of the lumpenproletariat, the underclass.

Cinema should talk about these people. Cinema should stop being too elitist.

Cinema shouldn't be just for the bourgeois

who go to the cinema in order to laugh and to see beautiful kiss scenes.

The same who want to see a Cadillac or a beautiful house with a pool.

I want a cinema which comes from the public and destined for the public.

It's getting dark.

Rafik!

I think we can go. He's alone.

May we ask you a couple of questions?

Sure, why not?

- We're asking questions about cinema. - Okay.

- What do you do for a living? - I'm a school teacher.

What do you think about cinema in general? What about Moroccan cinema?

Cinema? I don't know...

I don't know what to say about Moroccan cinema.

- Do you go to the cinema often? - Yes, I do.

- What kind of films do you like? - I don't really know...

I'm embarrassed. I really don't know what to say about cinema.

- We are a group of young Moroccan filmmakers.

- What kind of films should we do?

- I don't really know what to say.

There are lots of things to say about cinema.

- Could you possibly give us some examples?

- I don't know... I think it's essential to do realistic scenes.

That's all I have to say about subjects cinema should deal with...

- Like what exactly? - I don't know what to say.

- What are you doing about cinema? - We are interviewing some people...

to know how to develop a national cinema.

- We are the public. It's difficult for us to tell you what to do.

What I can tell you is that we prefer a certain kind of films, though.

At least, I do.

There's a special kind which should be shown on Moroccan cinema,

if there's a Moroccan cinema.

Because until now, I can find only foreign films in Morocco.

When you think about other Maghreb cinemas...

Algerian cinema is interesting, for example.

But we don't really have a Moroccan cinema

which could compete with foreign cinemas.

If there was one, it should talk about social issues concerning Moroccan people.

If you take Westerns and films like “The Big Boss” for example,

they are not really relevant to the Moroccan society.

How could such a cinema be?

We have had an artistic gap for the last three or four years...

So, any Moroccan production could have an effect.

For instance...

- Excuse me for the interruption... - Sure.

We are against the current system. We want a national cinema.

Right, but I'm talking about a social and cultural issue.

Give me a break, will you?

Am I supposed to light your cigarettes every time?

Go look for a lighter somewhere else!

- He's too slow...

- Calm down, will you?

None of his partners came yet.

You had the whole bottle.

Go away...

Where are we going afterwards?

Why? Did you plan something?

No, I have another thing to do...

- Are you afraid or what? - What do you mean?

- Are you afraid of him? - Him?

The trade unionist.

- He's so stupid! - I'm just saying my opinion.

Me, afraid?

Aren't you afraid of that guy over there?

I thought you were smart but you are just a moron!

- Who was the guy you were talking to? - He works on the movie business.

He asked me what kind of pictures they should make. I don't understand.

I'll have a beer, please. Make it two.

I was going to strand him.

I was getting down the bus when I saw him with his gang.

- Who was with him? - Omar and Muhammad, there they are.

I saw them before.

- You want a cigarette, right? - Sure.

There you go.

- Thank you very much. - Okay, beat it now.

- Do you want me to stay? - Go grab a drink! We ll be joining you!

Okay.

What about the beers?

- You want them fresh or warm? - This moron is laughing at my face.

Warm or fresh, I ordered a beer! Give it to me!

- Calm down, man. - He's provoking me!

I've been waiting for half an hour, now he asks me if I want them warm!

That's fine, case is closed...

We went to see this guy last night to see what happens...

We have been negotiating, I've taken the stock with me.

- The whole stock? - Sure, everything he had.

- I don't believe it. - You don't believe it?

If I say I did, it means I did.

How are we going to do to sell it?

- How are we going to do it? - It's not going to be easy to sell it.

Are you going to raise the prices or are you going to keep the same?

- I don't know. What do you think we should do?

- I think it's better if prices remain the same.

You started shaking!

What do you mean? I'm scared of you?

- Where is my cigarette packet? - There it is.

Calm down.

Look at me.

- I don't think that's the right solution...

If prices remain the same...

we're going to sell them right.

If we sell more, we'll have more buyers.

- Sure, more sales.

- Of course, more sales.

But if we have more sales, business will get more risky.

- How are you going to beat him up if you're as drunk as him?

- Don't be scared. - Go smoothly.

- If we raise the price, we won't be bothered.

This Black Death!

What we lose in the sales volume will be reimbursed by the profit margin.

Okay.

Give me a beer, Stork.

- Some red wine and another one with designation of origin.

May your ancestry be cursed!

- Give me my drink. - Leave him alone.

- A coffee, please. - Yes, Sir.

- Is the boss here? - Excuse me?

- Is the boss here? - Yes, Sir.

- We would like to film here. - Okay, Sir.

Go look for the boss. Tell him people from the movies want to see him.

Thank you very much.

Leave it here.

- We fell in the right place. - So many things to see, people to interview!

I'm fine, thanks.

- Move! - Stop it!

Don't push me!

Go fuck yourself!

Drop the bottle!

- Leave, go! - I'm leaving.

- Where to?

Anyone comes near you tell them to beat it.

You pricks!

Go away! Beat it!

Spread out, gentlemen!

You think you're tough, show me what you're going to do to me!

Go away!

He's your uncle but he doesn't want you to be fine.

Nevertheless, he's your dad's brother.

A wolf came out... and we went to Marrakesh.

It was raining...

I was wearing a cassock made of cotton and a burnoose.

We were soaking wet and we came in a mosque.

We'll give you some fish, Mister...

I don't want to buy it! Freak!

Calm down! You'll send it to somebody else!

He kept his rifle, so the Qaid asked him for a bribe.

He shot him.

Give me a beer.

That's beautiful.

Leave it here!

Saïd, where's my coffee?

Since when are they here?

They have arrived one after the other.

A coffee, a glass of hot milk and a glass of wine.

Make my coffee light, please.

A coffee, a glass of wine and a glass of hot milk.

He plays in the street. He came to me and he told me: Father...

Give me a glass.

You are drinking way too much. Calm down a little bit, will you?

- Don't worry, I want to beat him up. - Sober up if you want to beat him.

A chick just got in... She'll get him out for us.

We care about our origins, not about what's old or new.

Our world is ephemeral and time passes by.

How are you, Miss? Are you looking for someone?

- Yes, Karim. - Who?

- Karim Tazi.

- Who is Karim Tazi? Ah, right! - The journalist!

- The journalist, of course. I don't know him.

Do you want to have a drink with me? - Okay.

- Have you already been to this bar? - No, it's the first time.

- First time? - Yes.

- What would you like to drink? - Soda.

- Soda? - Yes!

- Please!

- What do you want, Sir? - A glass of cognac for the lady.

- I'll have a beer. - Okay.

- A cup of tea with some absinthe, please.

I'll be next to the bar.

- Quite an ambiance, right? - You can see how people are down here.

- Aren't you working? Come here! Aren't you working?

Hey, you! Come on!

- Aren't you working? - Leave him alone! Drop that hook!

- Stand up, go to work! - What do you do with that hook?

- Do you want to work or not?

- Go look for the boss.

- Come here!

- Do you want to work? Get out of my way!

- Hey, Hamri! - What do you want?

- You didn't tell me... - Excuse me?

I think I saw you somewhere else... What's your name?

- You saw me? Where? - Don't know, maybe on TV. Am I wrong?

- TV huh? - Yes.

- Maybe.

We have to finish this...

I hope the result will be wonderful.

That's your business.

- Give me more. - Why?

You keep on inflating the check!

- Move! - Leave it there, leave it there.

He's here.

I forgot what I wanted to tell you.

Excuse me, I'm going to talk to somebody and I'll come back.

- Who? - That man.

- Is he Karim? - No.

Don't be long.

- Good night. - Good night.

Are you making a film?

No, we are just interviewing some people.

Then you're going there.

Excuse me, I'm going to see what this lady wants.

- Who is he? - The film director.

Where did you go before?

There were a lot of people. I had to go.

Besides, I was going to meet my friend at this bar.

Perhaps it's your friend who will answer our questions.

If you insist...

- Can we film you? - You want to film me, too?

- Do we have to? - Yes.

In that case...

Are you shooting a feature film?

I can't say.

- Can you interview me, too? - With great pleasure.

Wait a minute. I have to check the camera.

- Ready? - Ready.

We are asking everybody about their opinion on cinema.

Moroccan cinema...

- You don't like the noise, right? - No.

- Are you leaving early? - Why you ask me that?

- I want to ask you for a favour? - Which one?

- We want to take our drunken friend out. - I see.

He would drink too much alcohol and he would make a blunder.

Can you find a way to take him out?

- Where's my beer? Excuse me, I forgot I'm coming back.

- You heard me, right? - Yes.

- We want him outside to make it easier for us.

- I'll try. - Care for another drink?

- No thanks!

Hamid, Hamid!

- Where were you? You're late. - I am in the bar since this morning!

- I want to leave...

- What happened? - I want to leave.

- Ah, Hamid is here.

- Be with us until the end of shooting. - Okay.

I'm going to explain everything to you.

- This man is not my friend. - Okay.

- Frankly, he is not our friend.

We want him outside.

It's for business. You'll manage to take him out.

Once he's out, you can leave.

We want to talk to him, but we don't know each other.

- Okay? - We'll see.

- You will try? - Yes.

- You promise? - We'll see.

- Leave me alone, Laaidi.

- Excuse me, I'd like to talk to the lady.

- Would you interview me? - Yes, with pleasure...

but let me ask the film director first, okay?

Go, go.

- No need to pay... - They are here!

- Why so angry? - I want to beat him now.

Calm down, my friend.

- Do you like cinema? - Yes.

- What kind of films do you like? - Moroccan films.

- Do you like Moroccan films? - Yes.

- What kind of films? - Have you seen a Moroccan film?

- Maybe she meant Arabic films. - You meant karate films, didn't you?

Karate films?

- Do you like karate films? - Yes.

- What about romance films? - Yes.

- Do you like Egyptian films? - Yes.

What about Indian films?

- You don't like them? - No.

You're beautiful. You would be a good actress.

- You know you're pretty. - No, I don't know.

- You don't know? - No.

You don't look in the mirrors in your house?

- Seriously, write her address down. - Sure, I'll do it.

We'll talk to this man. He seems reasonable and smart.

Come here, please.

We were asking this woman to play in a film. How do you feel about it?

- Sure, she has a face made for the movies.

She's very beautiful.

She could perfectly fit in a character...

- In a Moroccan film? - Sure, a Moroccan film.

- Do you go to the cinema often? - Yes...

What kind of Moroccan films would you like to see?

The kind of cinema that I like...

the films I like...

are...

the ones...

- Historical films. - Yes, historical films.

- Films talking about our society. - Yes, films talking about our society.

That's all.

- What's your name? - Malika.

Let me have your address, we'll call once we find a role for you.

- We'll call as soon as possible, okay? - Okay.

- What is your name? - Malika Mesrar.

Malika Mesrar?

It means beautiful. This name suits you very well.

- What about your address? - Derb Benjdia.

- Come whenever you want to. - Number 43.

Excuse me, please.

In Casablanca, right?

Who the hell they think they are with their cameras!

They've been here once and they think this is chaos!

I'm going to bring Aïcha.

Get out of here! I'll do it!

- Do you like Egyptian films? - Not really.

- I'll do it. - Come back, don't be stubborn!

Mostafa!

- How's that? - I don't know.

I prefer American and French films.

I'm good to you and you leave me. What the hell is that?

Let us finish our interview, Sir.

I don't give a damn. We were supposed to meet and she has to respect it.

- I don't give a shit! - It's just an interview.

I don't want to!

We had a date, she's staying with me!

- Leave him alone. - I don't want to listen to you.

- Listen... - Go fuck yourself!

Stop! Stop! I'm not going to do anything.

- This fight will help me to get him... - You won't get him...

- Cops are coming soon. - Have you seen his friends?

I'm going to beat the shit out of him. Then, I'll go.

I told you to go smoothly...

I told you it's just an interview!

I don't give a shit about your interview and your camera!

- That's okay... - No!

Leave him alone! Leave him alone!

- That's okay... - I told you it's not. Leave me alone.

These guys are violent!

- You too? - They're looking for a fight.

It's you, not me!

- Do you go to the cinema at least? - I know nothing about cinema!

- All this cinema you live in and you don't? - That's not your fucking business!

- Laugh! - I don't want to laugh! Go away.

Behaving like vulgar sailors... You have no manners.

What? Am I rude? That's what you think?

- Get out! - You should get out first! Beat it!

- Tell me, you know what we are doing? - He told me you're interviewing people...

I don't know, detective films and romance films...

Which ones do you prefer?

I don't know what to say. Every genre is special in its own way.

What should we show in our Moroccan cinema?

Do you think it should talk about issues...

- You, come here! That's enough! About life, women...

- Come to work, come! - I think cinema should talk about...

things that take place in real life.

- Things like what just happened? - Yes, why not?

- Our cinema should talk about social issues? - I just said so.

I think we are done. Thank you, Miss!

By the way, you're quite photogenic.

- We might call you to play in a movie. - Yes, I'd like to. Thank you.

Let's go, my friends. There.

You can say that...

Do you want to have dinner with me, tonight?

- We'll eat fish at the Restaurant Du Port. - Okay.

Great...

Remember me?

- Is this jacket yours? - Yes.

- The hat as well? - Yes.

Abbes!

Mr. Abbes! Mr. Abbes!

- I ran into two of your colleagues... - Yes.

They're at the screening room, taking images of the criminal.

The criminal? I don't understand...

One of the guys you interviewed is a criminal.

A guy stabbed another guy and I want to know everything about it.

I'm against that.

It's rolling, it's rolling.

We're shooting.

As I said before, I'm against showing this case.

To make a scene of it! I don't agree with that.

There are several reasons to kill somebody.

Sentimental reasons, obscure reasons...

But this man killed his boss... at work.

- So what? - They worked at the port.

So we have to consider more things besides the murderer,

or the victim.

It's about a whole world,

where these people live.

Maybe most of the port workers want to kill their bosses.

He was the only guy who could do it.

- Maybe they all want to do it secretly... - So they are all killers?

No, they aren't But he couldn't help it.

Nevertheless, the others dream of killing the bosses who submit them.

Maybe there's a mafia controlling the port!

Yes, this man is a criminal... but the problem is far more complex.

Is that what you mean?

His crime doesn't come from nowhere. There is a context in that port.

Something provoked this situation.

Just because a worker in the port committed a murder...

doesn't mean there's a problem at the port!

That's not the problem.

- If someone who's working at SOMATAC, you'd say there's a problem at SOMATAC.

I don't agree with you. That is a gesture...

We have to consider that...

- It's too noisy here, could we move? Sure, no problem.

Let's go to the back. It's going to be much better.

- Krimou, we're moving. - Okay, cut!

How is that?

- The style of this story... - We could write a script.

We don't know this person. We only know about this incident.

We can take him as film character We'll write the screenplay of a fiction.

We'll call some actors to perform the story.

That's a classical film. Your method is classical.

I don't think that's the cinema we want to do.

That's a matter of fiction or inspiration. We don't need this crime to make this film.

Unless we're going to change the story.

I think since this crime happened and this big problem turned up.

That made us think about cinema's truth,

which is an echo to social, economical and political problems.

It fits to a specific environment.

If we go back to the current context, we won't use it as a set.

It won't be superficial. We will take it on the spot.

The way it really is.

It means we should take into consideration this man's environment, the port,

its workers, etcetera.

The problems of workers such as our guy.

From a technical point of view, insist on that...

It's very important to us because we have very good raw material.

The artist is the man who anticipates the occasion.

The artist is not a regular guy.

There are common people. Then, there is the artist.

The artist is ahead of the occasion.

So I think that movies guy such as the filmmaker,

while making his film,

he already perceived that such a dramatic event was going to take place.

So if we say that we're going to create something afterwards...

I think we would be doing a piece of classical cinema.

If we were only to criticize instead of finding solutions

lots of people won't be happy about you speaking in French.

Imagine a film with half of the dialog spoken in Arabic and half in French.

I don't see why not.

Everybody will criticize you.

Everyone understands cinema in his own way.

The central issue of cinema is its role in acculturation.

I think we don't need a cinema...

which cuts us off from reality.

Wait, there's a plane passing by. I can't hear a thing.

Can we cut? Cut!

We don't need a cinema which is not showing certain dimensions,

which could be useful for changing, for solving our own problems.

If we do a fiction cinema which goes to a utopian direction,

we'd be legitimating the companies discourse.

Same thing with national and international associations.

So our problems become more and more ambiguous.

For example, films with karate champions...

and violent movies,

gratuitous and unreal violence.

I'm not talking about violence in a creative way,

I'm talking about an aesthetic representation of it.

A cinema which doesn't tackle real problems makes films go wrong.

I think that the most important thing

about the cinema we want to do,

is to consider it as a means of acculturation,

and raising awareness.

A global awareness, not focused on a single subject.

If we force our spectators to accept the imposition of a hero

and they see him as a positive role model,

we're not going to be able to solve the real problem.

He would be a hero for the bourgeois cinema.

We see it everywhere but it really means nothing.

We avoid real problems and we deal with them in another way.

You don't think that cinema is bourgeois, too?

Nowadays, bourgeois cinema is everywhere.

For everything that happens, there's a filmmaker using it for his film.

Everything has been used. Hollywood used the protests of students.

- All cinema... - I don't think we are in Hollywood...

and that we are here to use what happened.

If you think about the case of this man,

for using it in a film, like you were describing before.

then we'd be bourgeois.

but that's not what we're doing.

We don't want to make the same mistake.

The mistake you were saying. To make a commercial film.

Giving a name to a problem and to get it ready to be consumed!

That's not our intention We want to tackle the real problems of cinema.

A cinema of truth,

where all cultural subjects are exposed.

As I was saying before,

cinema can prove to be dangerous for a filmmaker!

It can be used as a weapon, too.

Tell me, you and Abdellatif were colleagues?

You don't want me to answer your question about cinema?

We want to know your link with him, now you've been declared innocent.

You used to get along well.

Seems that you were childhood friends, you worked together at a theatre...

He was my friend. We met at El Jadida.

I used to work for the municipal theatre of El Jadida.

We worked together for a short time,

we used to get along well. He's a good guy.

I never thought he'd be able to commit this kind of crime.

I never thought he could use a knife to stab another man.

What do you think about this crime story?

I was declared innocent. I don't understand a thing.

- How long have you been in custody? - Five or six days.

- Didn't you know the truth? - When he was with me at El Jadida...

he told me his story.

He worked here, in Casablanca.

He had some problems with his bosses and with his family.

He looked for a solution for a long time,

before deciding to go jail. It was the only solution.

What do you know about this young man?

He's a good guy. He never had this kind of problems before.

- Did he work? - Yes, he did, but I don't know where.

- Is he married? - I dont think so.

- You're not sure? - He was very discreet.

Did you know his parents?

I saw them often but I didn't really know them.

- Did his dad work? - Probably, he used to drive a car.

What could you say about this young man?

He was calm and discreet. He minded his own business.

- Did he gamble? - No, no.

- Did he drink? - I never saw him drinking or gambling.

Are you aware of his case?

I got sad when I knew. Never thought he was capable of that.

He never provoked anybody. I'm surprised about it.

- There's his sister - What?

His sister.

- Where is she? - There.

- Why is she walking like this? - They just told her about her brother.

Tell me, Sir. What are you doing with this camera?

We're investigating the case. We want to help him.

We want to know why he committed this crime.

We want to know what happened when he decided to kill him.

- We can't ask them now. - I think it's alright to do it.

- No, forget it.

You know these guys collaborated with the police to get him imprisoned.

- We have to chase these pricks away! - Right now?

You are quite too many...

- That's cinema. We have a cameraman... - That's way too much.

Let us talk to him for a while. We might film him briefly.

We have a sound technician, a cameraman and the rest of the team...

- Everyone else will wait outside. - If you're two, that's fine.

Only Nour Eddine!

- You're going to sit here. - Okay.

- Abdellatif is going to sit there. - Okay.

Why did you lie to me when we first met?

Did I lie? What lie?

- Speak louder, it's so noisy out here... - Okay.

You were filming my testimony for a TV program, something like that,

my neighbours knew I was working.

I leave at 8 o'clock

and I come back at noon.

Abbes, tell him it's too noisy here.

Why exactly did you say you were a teacher?

That's the first job I could think of.

I'm not proud to say that I'm unemployed. I refuse the fact that I am.

I want to work.

But you were working at the port. Weren't you proud of working there?

I'm not ashamed of my profession. I am an assembler.

I got my degree from Qastalani Institute. I studied 3 years there.

I haven't found a job since then. I got my degree when I was 15.

I have looked for a job in vain.

This is the reason why I became an actor!

You played for which theatre company?

The last one I worked with is Afifi. I worked with him in El Jadida.

However, I quit for personal reasons.

Then I went to Casablanca,

where I founded a puppeteer company with some friends.

- It didn't work, though. - Why?

We had to face lots of difficulties.

Lots of efforts for nothing.

Besides, we had to bribe some guys in exchange for my rights.

I hate corruption with all my heart!

I just can't do it.

I decided to let go of the puppets as well.

Until the day I met Fofana.

He introduced me to that man,

who made me a proposition to work as a pointer at the port.

What does a pointer do?

I worked three days per month and I earned 1500 francs every day.

I had to buy whisky and cigarettes for my boss. You already met him.

- So the whole salary... - Yes, I had to give him everything

in order to work that three days.

I wanted to talk to him but I had to bribe him to keep my job.

I told him but he wouldn't listen.

So I menaced him,

I told him I'd explain everything to his boss.

He challenged me to do it and he insulted me.

I answered and they kicked my ass.

- Was he alone? - All his guys were with him.

Four guys.

They hit me and they left in his car.

I had to answer. I had to kick his ass.

But you had a knife, you wanted to do something else.

I always have a knife on me. I use it to create my puppets.

I don't work just at home,

I worked in bars and in the street, too.

- Do you see what I mean? - Sure.

I always have this knife with me.

- So you didn't want to kill him... - No, I just wanted payback.

That's all.

Things happened differently.

The knife is always in my pocket.

Do you know where I live? Hay Farah.

- The knife is compulsory in Hay Farah? - Of course.

You don't know that because you live downtown.

You don't really know Hay Farah.

I don't understand. What do you want from me?

You want to know my intellectual level, is that it?

You think that I intended to kill him.

Is that what you want to know?

Cut the crap! Lets talk.

Do you think killing somebody is going to change anything?

And you think you're changing something with your camera?

Listen...

You've been following me for a while. Why?

You think you understand my problems? You don't even know where Hay Farah is!

How much did you pay to come here to film me...

I don't even know you... and you came to me.

Listen, you get to pick up your stuff and get the fuck out of here!

You can just film the things you'll never dare to do.

That's all you can do now.

Cut the crap and pick up your useless stuff!

It's useless!

Sir, throw them out of here.

And I'll tell you this...

I didn't want to kill that guy. It was not my intention.

But if I had to to it again, I'd kill him right now.

That's something you'll never be able to do. Never!

Production Contributors: The Artist Painters

Mohamed Melehi - Miloud Labied

Mohamed Chabaa - Mohamed Kacimi

L. El Bekkay - Mohamed Hamidi

Karim Bennani - Mustapha Hafid

Abdallah Hariri - Anna Hafid

Larbi Belkadi

Production Support: Larbi Essakalli - Mohamed Ziani

H. Benbrahim - Abdelhamid Dziri

Abdelaziz Khaldi - Noureddine Gounejjar

Hamid Bencherif - Ahmed Aimad

Benaissa El Fassi - Driss El Khoury

Noureddine Sail - M. El Mrabet

M. Jamaleddine - M. Benchekroun

Abderrahman Belmahjoub - Hamid Zoughi

Assistant Directors:

Mostafa Dziri - Abdelhadi Saddiki

Production coordinators:

Chafik Shimi - Abdelkader Moutaa

Lighting:

Abdellatif Ansary - Boujemaa Lahrach

Script:

Badia Berraoui - Noureddine Gounejjar

Press Officers:

Khalid Jamaï - Benaïssa El Fassi

Driss El Khoury

Sound:

Stan Wiszniewski - Noureddine Gounejjar

Larbi Essakalli - Miloud Bourbouh

Menouar Samiri

Music:

The Polish Jazz Band "Nahorny”

Assistant Editors:

Massimo Cecchini and Rosalia

Assistant Director:

Noureddine Gounejjar

Camera Assistant:

Mohammed Fakhir

Director of Photography:

Mohamed Abdelkrim Derkaoui

Written, Directed and Edited by

Mostafa Derkaoui

Thanks to:

The General Directorate of the National Security

The Casablanca Prefecture

and film director M. Mohamed Ziani

for their precious help