Look up the word “razzia”, and you discover is means “a hostile raid for purposes of conquest, plunder, and capture of slaves, especially one carried out by Moors in North Africa.”
Welcome to Razzia, a film by the most talented Nabil Ayouch. It stars performers you may not have heard of (yet)–Maryam Touzani, Arieh Worthalter, Amine Ennaji, Abdelilah Rachid, Dounia Binebine–but their talent dominates the screen.
In this searing and mesmerizing drama, five Moroccans from different social and religious strata are pushed to the fringe by their extremist government. Spanning three decades and several storylines, director Ayouch weaves an intricate tale of lost loves, forbidden desires, and fragile dreams in modern day Morocco.
An additional sidenote: The Moroccan Entry for the 2018 Academy Awards, Razzia was the Opening Night Film at the 2018 New York Jewish Film Festival.