Ahmed El-Maanouni

Casablanca-born writer, director, cinematographer, and producer, Ahmed El-Maanouni holds a prominent place in the history of Moroccan and international cinema.
His career began with ALYAM ALYAM, a groundbreaking work and the first Moroccan feature film selected for the Cannes Film Festival – Un Certain Regard 1978. Considered one of the most emblematic titles in Moroccan cinema, the film was awarded several prestigious distinctions.

He confirmed his international stature with AL HAL (TRANCES), a Franco-Moroccan co-production that left a lasting mark on the history of musical documentaries and was presented by Martin Scorsese at the Cannes Film Festival – Cannes Classics 2007. In a supreme recognition, ALYAM ALYAM and AL HAL (TRANCES) were restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and became part of the prestigious collections of The Criterion Collection and Eureka – The Masters of Cinema.

His work continued with BURNT HEARTS, winner of the Grand Prize and the Critics’ Award at the 2007 National Film Festival, acclaimed at more than 50 international festivals, followed by FADMA, which won the Best Directing Prize at the 2017 National Film Festival, a popular comedy that delicately addressed issues of identity and transmission.

Through his numerous documentaries, he tirelessly explores Morocco’s contemporary history, questioning its fractures and continuities, while shedding light on the ways in which these dynamics feed and shape collective memory.

Alongside his filmmaking, he devotes a vital part of his activity to transmission. He leads international workshops on directing and screenwriting, both in fiction and documentary, and regularly conducts masterclasses where he shares his experience, expertise, and reflections on cinema and its challenges. His career, marked by constant artistic and intellectual commitment, has been honored by the French Republic, which named him Officer of Arts and Letters.