Nabil Ayouch

Nabil Ayouch is one of the most internationally acknowledged Moroccan directors and one of the voices that are placing this cinema among the most successful emerging national cinemas. In 1997, Ayouch directed his first feature, Mektoub (1997), a film that was so successful in Morocco, it was chosen to represent the country at the Academy Awards. With several movies throughout the decade – Ali Zaoua (2000), Whatever Lola Wants (2007), My Land (2011) –  Horses of God (2012), a film about the suicide bombings in Casablanca, in 2003, became one of his main hits, sold to more than 40 countries and officially introduced, in the United States, by Jonathan Demme. His latest film, Much Loved (2015), was banned by the Moroccan government due to how it portrays prostitution.