Mother Street
Spring Grants 2022 - Development Stage
Amine El Mouêtassim / Feature Documentary / France, Morocco, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Documentary
Synopsis
‘Mother Street’ offers us portraits of homeless Moroccan orphans. Some remain in Morocco, while others have managed to sneak into France. In Casablanca, we follow Ibrahim, Noureddine, Yassine, and Mohammed through the streets of the city. Since they were expelled from their homes, they have struggled with hunger, cold, predators, and the judgments of society. But their relationship to the street is special—like a mother, it has also educated, sheltered, fed, and protected them. Despite the lack of prospects, they have a common dream: to cross the Mediterranean to Europe and find a better life. In Paris, we find more Moroccan-born street children. Pursuing their ideal, they have migrated to France illegally, and live there as undocumented aliens. Their life in France is sometimes even harder than in Morocco. On this long and exhausting road, they start to envision a triumphant return home, where their relatives, absent at the beginning of the story, will welcome them with open arms. A successful act of revenge on life.
Credits
- Director
- Amine El Mouêtassim
- Screenwriter
- Amine El Mouêtassim, Thibaut Amri, Benjamin Costes
- Producer
- Thibaut Amri, Benjamin Costes
- Production Company
- Avant la Nuit
About the Director
Amine El Mouêtassim was born in Berkane, a village in northeastern Morocco. He was the first boy in his family that already had seven daughters. From early childhood, he escaped into art and books. One of his sisters introduced him to French and Arabic literature by taking him with her to her job at the library. In addition to reading, Amine devoted much time to drawing and painting. After his baccalaureate degree, he took classes at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Tetouan. He then completed the institute’s 2-year program in film and video in Rabat (2007/2010). Amine earned his degree in screenwriting and filmmaking at the Higher School of Visual Arts in Marrakesh (2010/2013). During a workshop, he experimented for the first time with street children in a documentary essay.