Mohammed & Paul: Once Upon a Time in Tangier
Growing up in the Netherlands as the child of Moroccan parents, director Nordin Lasfar was inspired by the writer Paul Bowles, who introduced him to the literature and stories of Morocco. In the 1960s and 1970s, Tangier was a lively refuge for Western artists and writers of the beat generation. At the center of this artistic landscape was Mohammed Mrabet, a young fisherman's son and master storyteller from the Moroccan oral tradition. His stories gained worldwide fame when Bowles wrote them down, leading to a close but complex friendship between the two men, formed in a time of artistic freedom, social inequality, and hidden taboos.
Now, in his old age, Mrabet looks back on those years and his unique way of storytelling. Lasfar follows him through archive footage, interviews, and atmospheric street scenes of Tangier, exploring the balance between Mrabet's voice and that of the writer. At the same time, the film poses a fundamental question: who is the owner if it is only heard through the voice of another?
- Duration
- 93 min
- RELEASE
- Thu 5 Mar
- Year
- 2025
- Language
- English
- Subtitles
- Dutch