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Sofia

Panorama

Benm’barek’s lean, nuanced script clearly picks apart class hypocrisy

Variety
  • Archive - Festival 34
  • Director: Meryem Benm’barek
  • France 2018
  • 80 minutes
  • French, Arabic
  • Subtitles in Hebrew, English

Sofia, 20, lives with her parents in Casablanca. One day, while serving a meal at home, she starts to experience stomach cramps. In the kitchen, her cousin Lena is shocked when she realizes that Sofia is pregnant and rushes her to hospital, practically in labor. The hospital gives her 24 hours to provide them with the identification papers belonging to the father of the child before informing the authorities.

Meryem Benm’barek’s nuanced exposé of social hypocrisy won the Best Screenplay Award in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2018 Cannes Festival.

Feature Debut


  • Director Meryem Benm’barek
  • Production Olivier Delbosc
  • Script Meryem Benm’barek
  • Cinematography Son Doan
  • Editing Céline Perreard
  • Festivals Cannes (Un Certain Regard) – Screenplay Award
  • Actors Maha Alemi, Lubna Azabal, Sarah Perles, Faouzi Bensaïdi
  • Source Be for Films, Brussels