بیوگرافی
Nabil Ayouch lives and works in Casablanca and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Académie des Césars, and the Arab Film Academy. He is a director, writer, producer, and founder of Ali n' Production, Morocco's leading film and TV production company.
In 1997, Ayouch directed his first feature film, Mektoub, which, along with Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000), represented Morocco at the Oscars. He followed with Une minute de soleil en moins (2002) and Whatever Lola Wants (2007), produced by Pathé.
He directed several live shows, including the opening of Morocco Time in France at Château de Versailles in 1999, and created and directed the closing show of the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2009.
In 2011, Ayouch directed his first feature-length documentary, My Land, filmed in the Middle East. In 2012, he released Horses of God, based on the May 16, 2003 Casablanca bombings. The film was selected for the official Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, won the François Chalais Award, represented Morocco at the Oscars, and earned 26 international awards.
His 2015 film Much Loved was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. It won the Valois d'Or and Best Actress awards at Angoulême. Although banned in Morocco, the film was released in around twenty countries, acquired by Netflix for the US and other territories, won 12 international awards, and attracted 280,000 admissions in France, marking the biggest success for a Moroccan film.
In 2016, Ayouch directed Razzia (2017), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won a dozen international awards. It was widely distributed globally, including in the US by Amazon.
In 2019, he produced Adam, Maryam Touzani’s debut feature, which premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. The film, sold in 20 countries, won 23 awards and achieved both critical and public acclaim.
In 2021, Ayouch directed Casablanca Beats, a film about youth from Casablanca’s suburbs using Hip Hop as a form of expression. It had its world premiere in the official competition at Cannes, the first Moroccan film to do so.
In 2023, he produced The Blue Caftan by Maryam Touzani. Selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes, it won the FIPRESCI Prize. Representing Morocco at the Oscars, it was shortlisted among the 15 best foreign films for the first time ever for the country. The film won over 50 international awards, sold in about thirty territories, and recorded more than 500,000 admissions worldwide, setting a record for a Moroccan film.
In 2024, Ayouch will release his next film, Everybody Loves Touda.
Beyond filmmaking, through Ali n' Productions, which he founded in 1999, Ayouch energizes the Moroccan film scene by supporting emerging talents.
Between 2005 and 2010, through the creation of the "Film Industry," he produced 40 genre films, helping to establish a real film industry that nurtures and trains talent across all cinematic disciplines.
In 2006, with support from the European Union and the Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation, he launched Meda Films Development to assist producers and screenwriters from ten southern Mediterranean countries in developing their films.
Active in socio-cultural initiatives, Ayouch established the Ali Zaoua Foundation and opened the Cultural Center "Les étoiles de Sidi Moumen" in 2014, aimed at youth from the Sidi Moumen neighborhood, home to the kamikazes involved in the May 16, 2003 Casablanca bombings and the inspiration for Horses of God. Over 1,000 children and teenagers currently participate in various artistic programs there. Additional centers opened in Tangier (2016), Agadir (2019), Fez (2020), and Marrakech (2021).
In November 2014, the Louvre Museum honored Ayouch with a three-day carte blanche event showcasing much of his work to the Parisian audience.
In 2015, he exhibited a photographic series titled "On the margins" in Paris and Casablanca, exploring marginalized communities central to his artistic vision. In 2022, he presented a second photo series, "Aporia," exhibited in Casablanca.
