Mica
Fall Grants 2019 - Post-Production Stage
Ismaël Ferroukhi / Feature Narrative / France, Morocco, Qatar / 2020 / 103 min / Original Language: Arabic, French / Interests: Drama, Social Issues, Immigration
Synopsis
Ten-year-old Mica lives with his mother and sick father in a slum in the suburbs of Meknes, which is destined for destruction. A friend of his parents’—who happens to be a handyman in a swanky tennis club in Casablanca—chooses the young boy as his apprentice. Mica finds himself catapulted into a completely different world where a new life suddenly seems possible. Mr. Slimani, a rich and cultured man and owner of the club, dreams of making his son Omar a tennis champion. To this end, he hires Sophia, a former French champion, as a private trainer.
But Omar has very little talent and no passion for the sport. On the other hand, Sophia notices Mica and decides to take him under her wing. Ismael Ferroukhi’s ‘Mica’ captures the coming-of-age journey of a child from an impoverished background who dreams of a new life in a society where inequality is the unwritten rule of law. Ultimately a story of hope, the French-Moroccan filmmaker’s third feature shows us both sides of modern-day Moroccan society, separated less by potential, and more so by opportunity.
Credits
- Director
- Ismaël Ferroukhi
- Screenwriter
- Ismaël Ferorukhi, in collaboration with Fadette Drouard
- Producer
- LA PROD / ELZEVIR FILMS
- Production Company
- La Prod
About the Director
Ismaël Ferroukhi is a French-Moroccan film director born in 1962 in Morocco. He gained exposure with his 1992 short film 'L’Exposé', which won two prizes (Kodak and Prix SACD for Best Short Film) at Cannes Film Festival. Later, Ismaël co-wrote the Cédric Kahn film 'Trop de Bonheur' in 1994. His directorial debut 'Le Grand Voyage', won the Lion of the Future for a First Film at Venice Film Festival in 2004. His last film, 'Free Men' was screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2011.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
El Gouna FF 2020 (WP)