Rabat – Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir continues to make waves in the international film circuit as her documentary “The Mother of All Lies,” known as “Kadib Abyad,” clinched the coveted Sydney Film Prize at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival.
This remarkable achievement comes on the heels of El Moudir’s recent directing prize triumph at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, solidifying her position as a rising talent in the field.
The announcement of El Moudir’s victory came during the festival’s closing night on Sunday, where her documentary drama was declared the official competition winner, securing her the prestigious award along with a cash prize of $60,000.
The jury head, Anurag Kashyap, commended El Moudir’s documentary for its courage in addressing a subject that “has been deliberately erased from public memory,” as reported by ScreenDaily.
According to the Sydney Film Festival, the prize is awarded to the most “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” film in the Official Competition line-up. The competition is endorsed by FIAPF, the regulating body for international film festivals, and is judged by a jury of filmmakers and industry professionals, who award a $60,000 cash prize to the winning filmmaker.
The Sydney Film Festival, a renowned event endorsed by FIAPF, the governing body for international film festivals, selects the most “audacious, cutting-edge, and courageous” film from its Official Competition lineup as the recipient of the Sydney Film Prize.
The judging panel, consisting of filmmakers and industry professionals, awarded El Moudir the cash prize in recognition of her outstanding work.
Read Also: Moroccan Films Win Prestigious Awards at 76th Cannes Film Festival
During the ceremony, El Moudir, who also produced and edited the film, expressed her gratitude and excitement, stating, “I just want to call my grandmother now, who made the film with me, and my neighbours, and all the people in Morocco.”
She continued, according to IF Magazine: “It’s 10 am there now, and I want to tell them we have just won the prize of the Sydney Film Festival. I was flying 23 hours, fighting with the jetlag, but I will sleep well now with this prize.”
The documentary, spanning 96 minutes, follows the journey of a young Moroccan woman as she seeks the truth, unraveling a complex web of deceit within her family’s history. Drawing from her own experiences as a daughter and filmmaker, El Moudir masterfully weaves together personal and national history, delving into significant events such as the 1981 Bread Riots and drawing parallels to present-day Morocco.
Moroccan cinema received recognition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard selection, where El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies and Kamal Lazraq’s “Les Meutes” (Hounds) both received prestigious accolades.
Lazraq’s debut feature film secured the Jury’s Prize of Un Certain Regard 2023, while El Moudir’s creation earned her the Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard 2023, solidifying the triumph of Moroccan cinema on the international stage.
