Hamid Najah

Headbang Lullaby

On 11 June 1986, one day after Morocco wrote football world cup history by scoring a surprising victory over Portugal, government official Daoud is ordered to secure a bridge outside Casablanca that sits between two hostile communities over an empty highway. Here, he is to await the expected but by no means certain visit of King Hassan II. Encounters with government supporters and the families of political prisoners; the mysterious appearance of a foreign woman and a Berber, as well as the story of a football crazy boy all prove to be a bit much for Daoud. Ever since the bloody ‘bread riots’ five years earlier, he has felt paralysed. But the euphoria and the hope he encounters here help to lift his mood. The Moroccan team’s success unleashes a new self-confidence and lust for life that transcends the surreal shadow of the monarchy.

Queen of the Desert

A chronicle of Gertrude Bell's life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire in the Near and Middle East at the dawn of the twentieth century. Her knowledge of the tribal leaders is used by the British to establish the Kingdoms of Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Rock the Kasbah

A washed-up music producer finds one last shot at redemption with a golden-voiced young girl in Afghanistan. However, when jealousy gets the better of a disgruntled ex-boyfriend, he decides to oppose the young star with talent of his own.

Vive la France

Muzafar and Feruz are two easy going shepherds from Taboulistan, a tiny country in Asia that is unknown to the rest of the world. To alert the world to his country’s existence, the son of Taboulistan’s president decides to instigate a program of publicity terrorism. To that end, he recruits our two naive shepherds, their mission: to destroy the Eiffel Tower! But the France that Muzafar and Feruz discover is far from what they had expected...

The Barber of the Poor District

Among the inhabitants of Derb el Soltan, a popular district of Casablanca, we highlight the life of a barber who accepts the path that has been traced for him. His close friend never stops teaching him that struggle and resistance are the only qualities of a worthy man.

Collapsed Walls

The residents of a small Moroccan city endure separate lives while knowing the same cycles of burden and small joys. Wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters maneuver their way through mourning as death takes loved ones and life insists on moving forward. Here, letting go is a challenge for both the dead and the living. The people of this city share the same world, but don't always know when they live in each other's lives, helping and harming each other. Connected by friendship, proximity, and blood, they both destroy and support each other. Through weddings, funerals, murders, forgiveness, love, new birth, and sacrifice, the living build community and hope. Meanwhile, the souls of the dead linger to watch over loved ones.

The Morphine Melody

After a car crash causes a young composer to lose his memory, his journey to regain it causes him to reevaluate his life and reflect on his past mistakes. However, his life soon gets complicated when he discovers that he has forgotten how to create music.

Dead Leaves

Moul Ihsae

Lotfi, a census enumerator (counting demographics) or at least that's what he claims. Visits a neighborhood full of nutcases to interview and "count" them but everything quickly turns into a huge mess in a hilarious comedic frame full of twists about the Moroccan society..

Casa One Day

The story of a boy wandering the streets of Casablanca in all its contradictions, crimes and chaotic nature, walking with a mirror to observe the vibrant spirit of this city, and between its streets, narrow corners, vast areas and unique landmarks, the boy observes with his mirror the secrets of this city, which blends modernity with ancient history.