The Healer
Fall Grants 2017

Mohamed Zineddaine / Feature Narrative / Morocco, Italy, Qatar / 2018 / 110 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Drama
Synopsis
16-year old teenager Abdou lives on the outskirts of Khouribga, a mining town exploiting phosphates. He is helpful and caring, simple and down to earth, incapable of harm, and is anxious to regain the gift of human dignity through learning how to read and write. His adoptive mother Mbarka, a midwife and the neighbourhood’s healer, protects her privileged status with ways that the laws of obscurantism allow her. Ch’Aayba, a thirty-year-old man, uncontrollable and ferociously cynical, is an eccentric pickpocket. Suffering from a skin disease, Abdou convinces him to come see Mbarka in order to get treatment: that’s how the fate of these three will entangle, twirling on the carousel of illusion.
Credits
- Director
- Mohamed Zineddaine
- Screenwriter
- Mohamed Zineddaine, Olivier Bombarda
- Producer
- Mohamed Zineddaine
- Production Company
- Ouarzazate Films
About the Director

Mohamed Zineddaine was born in the small village of Oued Zem in Morocco. In 1983, he left Morocco to study a course in computer studies in Nice, France. Mohamed quickly realized that this was not for him, and he moved on to Italy where he gained great experience in life doing several jobs. Doomed to failure in his scientific studies, he was conducted to literary works by a secret hand and now devotes himself to reading extensively.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
"Marrakech IFF 2018 (WP/Home Premiere)
FESTIVAL DEL CINEMA AFRICANO, D’ASIA E AMERICA LATINA 2019
Manarat FF 2019
"
"Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Jury Prize awards, Tanger FF 2019
Best Actress award (Fatima Atif), MALMO Arab FF 2019
Special Mention for the Director, Arab FF Rotterdam 2019
Grand Prize Marchica, Nador FF 2019
Vesuvio Award, Napoli FF 2019
Contacts
-
Main Contact
Mohamed Zineddaine
- Company:
- Ouarzazate Films
- Phone:
- +212 6 65 35 95 00 / +39 333 266 9 135
- Email:
- ouarzazatefilm@gmail.com