Moroccan Filmmaker Mostafa Derkaoui Dies at 82 in Casablanca

Marrakech – Moroccan filmmaker Mostafa Derkaoui died on Thursday in Casablanca at the age of 82. His funeral took place on Friday at the Achouhadda cemetery in the city, following the Addohr prayer. Throughout his career, he was known for a politically engaged approach to filmmaking.

Derkaoui was born in Oujda in 1944. He earned a baccalaureate in philosophy in 1962 and trained at the Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Casablanca. He later continued his studies at the IDHEC in Paris. In 1965, he enrolled at the Łódź Film School in Poland alongside his brother Abdelkrim, and he graduated in directing in 1972.

His work drew on theatrical, literary, and musical references and often challenged established approaches to filmmaking.

In 1974, the two brothers co-founded Basma Production. That same year, Derkaoui shot his first feature, “De quelques événements sans signification.” The film set aside conventional plot in favor of a film-within-a-film structure, and it broke with the dominant cinematic conventions of the era. Moroccan authorities banned it upon release, and it went on to acquire cult status.

The film reached audiences only rarely in the years that followed. It appeared at festivals in Paris in 1975 and in Khouribga in 1977, yet it stayed out of public view for nearly three decades.

A turning point came in 2016, when a restoration project with the Filmoteca de Catalunya returned it to the international scene. The restored version then screened at the 69th Berlinale in 2019.

The feature’s opening credits brought together a wide group of Moroccan intellectuals, from poets to painters. Critical reception was not unanimous. Férid Boughédir, writing in Cinéma Action, questioned whether such symbolism risked what he called “confusionnisme.”

Derkaoui became one of the most prolific Moroccan directors of the 1980s and 1990s. His filmography includes “Les Beaux Jours de Shéhérazade” in 1982, “Casablanca by Night” in 2003, and “Casa Day Light” in 2004. He also directed “Le silence,” a film on the Gulf War, and the medium-length “La Grande Allégorie.”

Recognition arrived later in his career. The Marrakech International Film Festival honored him in 2007, and King Mohammed VI decorated him in 2016. In 2023, Sophie Delvallée directed a documentary on his career, “Librement, Mostafa Derkaoui.”

Derkaoui’s work continues through his family. His brother Abdelkrim remains active in cinema, and his son, Kamal Derkaoui, works as a director of photography.

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