Adam

Adam

Maryam Touzani

MA / FR
2019
Feature Film
98’
International Debut Feature Film Competition

»Death does not belong to the women.« – Abla
»Very little is really ours.« – Samia

Abla, a widow, is mother to eight-year-old Warda and a baker who sells her wares from the window of her apartment in Casablanca’s old town. One day Samia shows up on her doorstep – unmarried, heavily pregnant and in need of accommodation and a job. Warda takes to her straight away, so Abla reluctantly gives her shelter. Later, they arrange for Samia to stay until she gives birth. Over the weeks that follow, Abla and Samia work together to create small miracles out of flour, semolina, water and sugar. Meanwhile, Samia’s zest for life and her talent for baking begin to draw the young, embittered widow out of her disciplined shell. The elephant in the room is the unanswered question of what will happen once Samia’s baby is born.

Shot in an intimate setting, Adam depicts two single Moroccan women and a girl who come to each other’s aid as they feel their way along the social and religious guardrails dominating their lives, touching unsentimentally upon major issues such as maternal love, grief, and death. By skilfully playing with depth of field, director of photography Virginie Surdej succeeds in showcasing both the intimacy and the distance between the protagonists, interpreted impressively by international star Lubna Azabal and Nisrin Erradi (recognised as Best Actress at the Durban IFF).


Awards for ›Adam‹
Arab Stars of Tomorrow (for Nisrin Erradi) – Cairo IFF | Roger Ebert Award – Chicago International Film Festival, New Directors Competition 2019 | Best Actress (Nisrin Erradi) – Durban IFF 2019 | Local Jury Award – Palm Springs IFF 2019 | Archie Award for Best First Feature – Philadelphia Film Festival 2019

Director

Maryam Touzani

Script

Maryam Touzani, Nabil Ayouch

Cinematography

Virginie Surdej

Editing

Julie Naas

Sound

Nassim Mounabbih

Cast

Lubna Azabal, Nisrin Erradi, Daoua Belkhaouda

Production

Nabil Ayouch, Ali n’ Productions, Les Films du Nouveau Monde, Artemis Films

Co-production

Amine Benjelloun, Patrick Quinet

Contact

Films Boutique

Portrait of Maryam Touzani

Maryam Touzani

Born and raised in Tanger, Maryam Touzani studied in London and worked in cinema journalism before switching to film production as a screenwriter and director of short and feature films. She co-wrote the script for the feature film Razzia together with her husband, the director Nabil Ayouch, and made her acting debut in the lead role of Salima. Her feature-length directing debut Adam premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.


Films by Maryam Touzani
Aya wal bahr (Aya Goes to the Beach) 2015 | Sous ma vieillle peau / Much loved 2014 | Quand ils dorment 2011