Rabat – Moroccan cinema took center stage on Friday as Maryam Touzani’s latest feature film, “Calle Málaga,” premiered at the opening of the 29th Spanish-Language Film Festival in Málaga, running from March 6 to 15.
The inauguration ceremony was held at the historic Teatro Cervantes, attended by Spain’s Minister of Culture, the Mayor of Málaga, Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, and numerous figures from the worlds of politics, cinema, and media.
Touzani, whose film blends comedy and drama, described “Calle Málaga” as a reflection of life’s complexity. “We laugh between tears and cry between laughs,” she said, highlighting the emotional depth of the story.
The script, she explained, was born from personal loss—the death of her mother—which drew her back to memories of her mother, her grandmother Juana, and her hometown of Tangier, where the street Calle Málaga still exists today.
The director also emphasized the richness of Tangier’s dual Moroccan-Spanish culture. “On this street, different cultures and religions coexisted with tolerance and love. That is something precious in a world increasingly building walls and divisions,” she said.
Marking Touzani’s first Spanish-language film, “Calle Málaga” continues her cinematic focus on memory, belonging, and human connection. Filmed in Tangier, the movie tells the story of María Ángeles, a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in her beloved Tangier home.
Her carefully balanced life, shaped by decades of cultural coexistence, is disrupted when her daughter arrives from Madrid intending to sell the family apartment, creating tensions between memory, heritage, and contemporary realities.
The film has already gained international attention, screening at festivals including Venice, Toronto, and Mar del Plata, and has been selected as Morocco’s official submission for the Oscars.
“Calle Málaga” is Touzani’s third feature film, following “Adam,” screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, and “Le Bleu du Caftan,” which was presented at Cannes and the Marrakech International Film Festival and shortlisted for the Academy Awards. With this latest work, Touzani cements her reputation as a filmmaker exploring identity, culture, and the ties that bind communities together.
