A taste of Morocco in NYC? How about the first ever Moroccan Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas. The perfect opportunity since the cinema has been on my “must experience” list for a while now.
The cinema, an intimate art house home to a variety of film festivals throughout the year, was filled with the aroma of Moroccan spices as soon as you entered. The festival was hosted by the High Atlas Foundation, a nonprofit committed to advancing community development in rural Morocco. Lots of moroccan tastes offered as you purchased your ticket in the old fashioned lobby.
There were a dozen films to choose from throughout the weekend and I decided onTenja as it was to showcase an accurate portrayal of a rural Berber village and beautiful scenery. The film was about the head of a Moroccan family who had died and wished to be buried where he’d been born. His son who had grown up in France arrives in Morocco, a land he knows about only through the stories he was told as a child, armed with only a few words of Arabic and knowing even less about the man who raised him. His mission? A road trip with his father’s casket in his vehicle making his way to the village. A funny and endearing film with quirky characters that bridges the gap between urban and rural life.
Why an interest in Morocco you might ask…
Well, for starters I’m helping out the gals who own Mushmina at their adorable little spot in Bryant Park for the holiday season. More on that as I’m attending their opening and yours truly will be their photographer for the evening. (They’ve promised me champagne and who can resist that?)
Then… in February I’ll be exploring Morocco for about fifteen days! Can’t wait!
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