Morocco / Spain

Benkirane was born in 1975. Deeply influenced by his multi-cultural heritage (Moroccan and Spanish), Ali Benkirane was inspired to study cinema at the ESRA in Paris, where he received his graduate degree in 1998. Thereafter, he began his career working as an assistant editor and assistant director on several movies in Morocco. In 2004, he wrote and directed the short Amal, his first major film as a director, about a young Moroccan girl eager to learn at school in order to become a doctor, but whose parents don’t agree with her ambition. The film won many prizes in French and international festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Aix-en-Provence, Montreal, Rotterdam, Dubai and San Francisco.

Filmography

Vietnam Paradiso (2001)
30 ans de pêche hauturière au Maroc (2002)
Amal el badiya (2003)
Amal (2004)
Casa (2006)
Women Interrupted (2009)