Casablanca Beats: dir Nabil Ayouch (2021)

Nabil Ayouch’s grittily authentic tale of a rapper turned teacher helping his students find their creative voices is a class act. It manages to combine familiar cinematic tropes like ‘strength through making music’ and the inspirational teacher with a taste of social realism, discursive politics and accessible rebellion.

Shot over 15 months, which allowed the project to grow organically and gave time for the screen first-timers to develop, Ayouch’s cinéma vérité style camerawork gives the film a documentary feel, but Khalid Benghrib’s choreography elevates the action above the everyday through scenes that take the cast from the classroom to the recording studio, the stage and beyond. Casablanca Beats has an infectious energy that is both enticing and accessible. Highly recommended.

Screens in the MOVE ON FILM season.