In “the blue of the caftan”, the Moroccan director Maryam Touzani tells the story of a balanced couple full of love, who have always lived with the secret of the husband’s homosexuality. The film is shortlisted for the Oscars in the “best foreign film” category.
With “the blue of the Caftan”, Moroccan director Maryam Touzani delivers an ode to love in all its forms. The film was shortlisted for the Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film”. It is only the second Moroccan film in pre-selection since “Omar killed me” in 2012, by Franco-Moroccan director Roschdy Zem.
It tells the story of a couple, Halim and Mina, owners of a traditional Moroccan clothing store. It recounts the strength of their love in the face of the husband’s shameful homosexuality. Mina’s cancer and the arrival of a young apprentice, Youssef, upset this balance.
“The film is not regarding homosexuality, it is regarding love”
“What I want to do through this film too is to create empathy for the characters, that we get to know them, and that we give them a chance to understand who they are, to love them as they areexplains director Maryam Touzani, and that’s why it’s a film that speaks of love for me above all. It’s not a movie regarding homosexuality, it’s a movie regarding love“.
In Morocco, where the film was presented in a special screening during the Marrakech film festival, homosexuality is still repressed and can be punished by 6 months to three years in prison. The risk of denunciation maintains a climate of fear for LGBT people.
“The freedom to love belongs to us, it belongs only to us. And I think that now there is still a long way to go. And I precisely hope that the film will be able to contribute to a healthy debate in order to also change the laws“concludes the director.
And to find out ifthe Blue of the Caftan” is nominated for the Oscars, the date is set for January 24.
