The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) is currently in full swing, attracting film buffs, directors, and film industry professionals. Among the highlights of this 21st edition, the screening of Daoud Oulad Syad’s latest masterpiece, The Blue Lakean immersive work filmed in the vast desert expanses of Morocco.
This film, presented Tuesday afternoon in the Panorama section of Moroccan cinema, tells the poignant story of Youssef, a 12-year-old blind orphan, and his grandfather Allal, played by Mohamed Khouyi. Together, they embark on a near-mystical quest across the desert, in search of a legendary pool known as the Blue Lake.
During the presentation of his film at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, Daoud Oulad Syad revealed the unique origin of this story: “ I met blind Swiss people who came to trek in the Moroccan desert, near Lake Iriqui. Among them was a photographer. I found this idea fascinating. How can a blind person capture the beauty of the world through a lens? This is where the scenario took shape ».
The Moroccan director also shared the challenges encountered, notably the choice of the child playing Youssef: “ I wanted a truly blind actor, not an able-bodied child playing this role. Finding this actor was difficult, but the result is worthy ».
A poetic story in the heart of the Moroccan desert
The Blue Lake is an ode to contemplation, where the raw beauty of the desert becomes a character in its own right. The golden dunes, pristine skies and infinite horizon invite the viewer to lose themselves on an inner journey.
The film explores universal themes such as resilience, intergenerational transmission and the quest for self. For Youssef, the trip with his grandfather goes beyond a simple adventure. It is an initiation rite. The camera, an unexpected gift, becomes his means of understanding a world that he does not see but feels deeply.
Under the photography direction of Ali Benjelloun, The Blue Lake captivates with its pictorially precise shots. Each image seems taken from a painting, sublimating the desert landscapes. The sound design, by Sarah Kaddouri, amplifies this immersion by capturing the breath of the wind, the crunch of footsteps on the sand, and the murmurs of the desert.
Produced by Cécile Oulad Syad and Abdessalam El Miftahi, the film testifies to the perfectionism of its director, who devoted four years to this ambitious project.
A trained physicist, recognized photographer, and acclaimed director, Daoud Oulad Syad has established himself as an essential figure in Moroccan cinema. Since his first feature film, Bye Bye Souirty (1998), which won an award at the Montpellier Festival, he has had a string of successes with notable works such as Retour du vent (2002), Bab al-Bahr (2003), and En attendant Pasolini (2007). With La Marja Bleue, he once again confirms his passion for stories anchored in vast desert expanses, where the intimate mixes with the sublime.
In The Blue LakeYoussef’s blindness goes beyond a simple handicap: it becomes a metaphor for introspection. The young boy, played with remarkable sensitivity by Youssef Kdair, shows that vision does not reside in the eyes but in the heart. Through the desert, he learns that what is essential is invisible to the eye, a universal lesson carried with rare depth.
With The Blue LakeDaoud Oulad Syad offers much more than a film: a sensory and spiritual experience. This journey into the immensity of the desert reminds us that, sometimes, it is in the most total isolation that we find the most essential truths.
