A Moroccan short film tells the story of the 2003 Casablanca terrorist attacks through the eyes of a victim.
As Morocco marks the eighth anniversary of the deadly Casablanca terror attacks, Magharebia sat down to interview young cinematographer Mohamed Benaziz, whose 2010 film "Coeur brisé" (Broken Heart) takes on the issue of terrorism.
The film tells the story of the deadly May 16th, 2003 bombings through the eyes of a victim. Actress Fatma Zahra Baghdad, who plays the movie's leading role, was personally affected by the attacks, with two relatives wounded.
Magharebia: How would you describe your short film?
Mohamed Benaziz: The film tells the story of a philosophy high school teacher who was widowed in an irrelevant event. She raises her son and kills herself at work. One time, while commemorating the anniversary of the death of her husband, she finds out that the event that tore her life apart is due to some ongoing problems. What does she do?
This is the synopsis of "Coeur brisé". The film is just dropping the pen to tell the same story using a camera. We live in the era of motion and the photographic art reaches a broader audience.
Magharebia: How was the film received by reviewers and audience members?
Benaziz: Reviews published in written press were quite positive.
Magharebia: Don't you think the topic of terrorism is delicate?
Benaziz: The topic is definitely very delicate. In the International Film Festival of Marrakech 2010, the president of the jury, John Malkovich, called for stories worth telling. The story of the Casablanca bomb attacks is worth telling. It is a premonitory story, as the "Coeur brisé" was wondering if the bombings of May 16, 2003 will happen again. A character of the movie predicted that, and the "prophecy" was fulfilled in Marrakech.
I think that we need a lot of time to cure terrorism. This will not happen overnight. We may probably seek relief in the prescription made by Jules Romains in his play "Doctor Knock", in which the doctor was treating a patient who was suffering from back pain, due to a fall when she was young. The doctor suggested that the treatment should take the same period that she suffered from her problem.
So killing Bin Laden is not enough as a cure.
Magharebia: What message are you trying to give through your work?
Benaziz: The film is calling to defeat the ideology that is supporting the culture of terrorism. Each time that terrorism attacks take place in Morocco, you hear condemnatory voices rise. Security forces are given respect, and we unite around a consensus against those terrorists, who become a synonym of destruction. Such a consensus suggests that the issue is over and that the last terrorism act was a mere exceptional mistake and that it will not happen again.
On the ground of this supposition, the happy consciousness prevails, and serenity spreads in the society. A curtain of silence is built and life goes on, then we discover new cells and new attacks take place. Several people will then fake surprise and will ask: where did those terrorists come from?
Nobody will dare answer that "they didn't come from the outer space, they live among us!"
The message of the film attempts to shock people with such a pattern of thoughts, make them open their eyes and ask the right questions. This is the battleground of the film.
Magharebia: Do you have any final comments?
Benaziz: I would like to quote Jean Cocteau when he said, "Cinema is something you peek on through a keyhole." Cinema is a kind of voyeurism, this is why I made sure at every projection of the movie to listen to the reactions of the audience, so that I can direct the camera in my next film and through it I can direct the emotions of the audience.
© Magharebia.com 2011
