Rabat – The Moroccan Academy of Technical Arts and Cinema has nominated the short film “Qu’importe si les bêtes meurent?” (So What if the Goats Die?), directed by Sofia Alaoui, for France’s 46th Cesars Awards.
The event will take place in Paris on March 12.
This short film participated in the international competition of the Sundance Film Festival in the United States (January-February 2020) following its release in 2019, winning the Grand Jury Prize.
The Moroccan Cinema Center (CCM) recalled that the film heading towards Cesars Awards judges also received an Academy Awards nomination, according to a statement cited by MSN.
Sofia Alaoui’s “Qu’importe si les bêtes meurent?” is the first Moroccan movie to receive an Oscars nomination.
The short also appeared in the Tangier National Film Festival in 2020.
The same movie also featured in other film festivals, including the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival, and the Namur International Francophone Film Festival.
The Moroccan creator’s short film that will appear at Cesars Awards “continues to shine at the major international film events,” said the CCM.
Jiango Films, with the support of the CCM, produced the movie “ that tells the story of Abdellah.
Facing a supernatural phenomenon, a young shepherd living in the mountains must brave the snow blocking him in order to find food and save his cattle.
Several film festivals have awarded Alaoui’s works, recognizing her filmmaking talent.
A number of other Moroccan filmmakers have also shone in international festivals, including Halima Ouardiri.
Ouardiri’s short film “Clebs” was part of Brazil’s 31st Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival, from August 20 to 30, 2020.
At the 70th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in February, “Clebs” won Best Short Film.
The international jury awarded the Moroccan movie a special prize in addition to the Crystal Bear.
The film provides a “glimpse of a world we have never seen before,” the festival’s jury remarked.
