Casablanca Beats
Director: Nabil Ayouch Run Time: 101 min. Rating: Unrated Release Year: 2021 Language: Arabic
Starring: Abdelilah Basbousi, Anas Basbousi, Ismail Adouab, Nouhaila Arif, Samah Baricou
Tagline: Based on actual events, a former rapper takes a job at a cultural center in a poor neighborhood in Casablanca and inspires his students to break free from the weight of restrictive traditions in order to live their passions and express themselves through the arts.
Synopsis: Director Nabil Ayouch (Razzia, Horses of God) drew on his own experience opening a youth cultural center in Casablanca for this story of a former rapper named Anas who takes a job teaching hip hop in an underprivileged neighborhood. Despite differences in identity, religion, and politics, Anas encourages his students to bond together and break free from the weight of restrictive traditions in order to follow their passion and express themselves through the arts. Featuring a dynamic ensemble of first-time actors, many of them students of the real-life cultural center where the film was shot, Casablanca Beats is a vibrant and inspiring coming-of-age hip hop musical with a decidedly feminist edge. Mixing intimate yet high stakes drama with infectious musical sequences, the film transports audiences to a lively and contemporary Casablanca, far from the clichés about the Arab world. Morocco’s official submission to the 94th Academy Awards® offers a refreshing dose of youthful inspiration alongside a powerful message about the liberating power of self-expression.
Critic Quotes:
“Nabil Ayouch’s exuberant musical declares that… hip-hop isn’t dead; it’s just been hiding in Morocco.” – Austin Considine, The New York Times
“Energetic and hopeful. Communicates the creative excitement of hip-hop [and] infects the audience with its passion and the unshakable belief that a person who has self-confidence and self-expression can really change society.” – Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
“The film has the power to engage and amuse, and it also delivers a factor that’s in short supply in this year’s Cannes competition entries: joy.” – Anna Smith, Deadline
“Could be a rallying cry for any youth activism group, anywhere in the world. It’s hard to argue when the results are this energetic, this empowering and this irresistibly youthful.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
“Defiant, uninhibited and full of attitude. Hip hop and rap music infuse every aspect of Nabil Ayouch’s vibrant musical… this is a film which celebrates empowerment and the exhilarating release of finding a voice and being heard.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“A spiky, politically energized drama.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out London
“An excellent tale that is both a love affair with hip hop and a look at how the Moroccan youth is challenging orthodox views in the digital age.” – Kaleem Aftab, Cineuropa
Showtimes:
Friday, October 14, 2022: 12:00, 4:30
Saturday October 15, 2022: 2:15, 6:45
Sunday, October 16, 2022: 12:30
Monday, October 17, 2022: 12:00, 4:30
Tuesday, October 18, 2022: 12:30, 5:00
Wednesday, October 19, 2022: 3:00
Thursday, October 20, 2022: 1:30, 6:00
Ticket Prices: $12 Regular / $10 Students & Seniors / $9 Members