Descent of El Maanouni in New York

For the occasion, the director revisited entire sections of the history and collective memory of the Kingdom. Speaking on this occasion, the Consul General of Morocco, Abdelkader Jamoussi indicated that this event aimed to give an overview to the rising generations of the Moroccan community established in the United States, particularly in New York, on the works which marked the cultural scene in Morocco. In his documentary “Alyam Alyam” (1978) which was the first Moroccan film selected at the Cannes International Film Festival and Grand Prix at the Mannheim Festival in Germany, the director describes the life of peasants in the Moroccan countryside, retraces the journey of young people, notably that of Abdelwahad who becomes the main breadwinner after the death of his father and must take care of his mother and his brothers and sisters, while aspiring to go abroad. In 1981, the native of Casablanca made his mark with the release of the emblematic documentary “Transes” (Al Hal) on the legendary musical group Nass El Ghiwane.

In this work in which Izza Génini participates, he retraced the stage performances of the artists Larbi Batma, Omar Sayed, Allal Yaala and Abderrahman Paco whose popularity has transcended borders. “Transes” was restored in 2007 by the Bologna Cinematheque/L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, the World Cinema Project of The Film Foundation, by the famous American director Martin Scorsese. It was included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival the same year.