A young Moroccan woman’s search for truth tangles with a web of lies in her family’s history. As a daughter and filmmaker, Asmae fuses personal and national history as she reflects on the 1981 Bread Riots, drawing out connections to contemporary Morocco.

A young Moroccan director Asmae goes to her parents’ place in Casablanca to help them move out. Back in her family house, she starts to sort out all the objects of her childhood. At some point, she sees a photograph: children smiling in a kindergarten playground. On the edge of the frame, there is a little girl sitting on a bench, looking shyly at the camera. This picture is the only image of her childhood, the only memory her mother could give to her. But Asmae is convinced that she’s not the child on this picture. Hoping to make her parents talk, Asmae introduces her camera and plays with this intimate incident to talk about other memories that she doesn’t trust either. This photo becomes the starting point of an investigation during which the director questions all the little lies told by her family.
Behind the walls of the house, there is also the neighbourhood. The local politician, Sir Abdelkader: is he the generous man offering hammam, meat and plums to the neighbourhood or a corrupt politician? Little by little, Asmae explores the memory of her own people – either real or surreal – together with the memory of her neighbourhood and country.

estrelado / starring / avec :
Asmae El Moudir

a film by / un film de
Asmae EL MOUDIR

Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt | 2023 | Feature Documentary, in Arabic

Second feature Documentary / Second Long métrage Documentaire


NOTE D’INTENTION (CINÉASTE)
As a young moroccan director, I carry with me many unsolved questions. Some are personal, some are political and I want to ask them now, as both a filmmaker and a daughter, interacting with the closest people around me: my family. From these family relationships, I create a common space for the film, our house in Casablanca. A space full of complicity, love, hostilities and objections.
Investigating my childhood’s stories, I interact with my mother, my father and my grandmother. It allows me to question my memories, stuck between fiction and reality, between truth and lies. And I show how difficult it is to build one’s identity when every memory we own is doubtful. Little by little, this narrative choice will give me the opportunity to ask my parents about the 1981 « Bread Riots » and how they lived through this dark and unknown event of Moroccan History. In this sense, my goal is not so much to try to document the real story but rather to make a film about the multiplicity of points of view and plurality of interpretations that coexist within the same intimate space, regarding family and national history.
– Asmae EL MOUDIR


Título / Original title / Titre Original : THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES
Título Internacional (en Inglês) / International Title (English) / Titre international (Anglais) : THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES
Título (França / Bélgica) / Title (France / Belgium) / Titre (France, Belgique) : La mère de tous les mensonges
Outro título (em árabe) / Other Title (in Arabic) / Autre Titre (en arabe) :
Outro título (em francês) / Other Title (in French) / Autre Titre (en français) :
Duração / Duración / Runtime / Durée : 95′ (1h 35 minutes, 00:00:00)
Tipo / Type / Type : Longa-metragem Documentario / Feature Documentary / Long-métrage Documentaire
Gênero / Genre :
Idioma / Languages / Langues de tournage : Árabe / Arabic / Arabe
Subtítulos / Subtitles / Sous-titres :
País de Produção / Country of Production / Pays de Production : Marrocos, Qatar, Arábia Saudita, Egito / Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt / Maroc, Qatar, Arabie Saoudite, Egypte
País do Diretora / Filmmaker’s Country / Pays de la réalisatrice : Marrocos / Morocco / Maroc
País de filmagem / Country of Filming / Pays de tournage : Marrocos / Morocco / Maroc
Ano de Produção / Year of production / Année de production : 2022-
Ano de lançamento / Year of Release / Année de Sortie :
Cores / Colors / Couleurs : Cor / Color / Couleur
Suporte de difusão / Media / Support de diffusion :
Formato / Aspect Ratio / Format Image :
Formato de som / Sound Mix / Format Son :
Orçamento estimado / Estimated Budget / Budget prévisionnel : 9,340
TAGS : Família, Mulheres, Family, Women, Famille, Femmes


PARTICIPANTS / PARTICIPANTS
Asmae EL MOUDIR……………………………………………… Self / Dans son propre rôle
………………………………………………
………………………………………………


PRODUTORA EXECUTIVA / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / PRODUCTRICE DÉLÉGUÉE :
Asmae EL MOUDIR

PRODUTORA / PRODUCER / PRODUCTRICE :
Asmae EL MOUDIR (Insightfilms)

DIRECTOR / REALIZAÇÃO / RÉALISATRICE :
Asmae EL MOUDIR

Guionista / Screenplay / Scénariste :
Asmae EL MOUDIR

Dir. de Fotografia / Director of Photography / Directeur de la photo :
Director de Som / Sound Recordist (Sound Engineer) / Ingénieur du son :
Música / Composer (Original Music) / Musique :
Montagem / Editing / Montage :
Sound Editor / Monteur son :
Sound Mixing / Mixage :
Gerente de Produção / Unit production manager / Directeur de production :
Assistente Realização / Assistant Director / Assistante Réalisatrice :
Boom operator / Perchiste :
Assistant camera / Assistants cadreurs :
Assistant editor / Assistant monteur :
Location Manager / Régisseur :
Transportation Captain / Responsable Transports :
Set photography / Photographe de plateau :
Behind the scenes footage / Tournage Making-of :
Illustration / Illustrations (Générique) :
THANKS / REMERCIEMENTS :


PRODUCTION / PRODUCTION :
Insightfilms (Morocco)

CO-PRODUCTION / COPRODUCTION :
Figleaf Studios (Egypt)
Aljazeera Documentary (Qatar)

PARTNERS / PARTENAIRES
AFAC (Lebanon)
IDFA Bertha Fund (The Netherlands)
Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund (Canada)
Doha Film Institute (Qatar)
Atlas Workshops Prize (Morocco)
International Media Support (Denmark)
CNC Development Support FAIA (France)
La Scam (France)
Netflix Equity Fund (USA)
Red Sea Fund (Saudi Arabia)

DISTRIBUTION


VENTES / SALES

CONTACT (Print Copy / Diffusion du film, Festivals)
Insightfilms
15 Avenue ALABTAL N4, Rabat Agdal, Morocco
+212661579359

RELEASE / SORTIE SALLES



FESTIVALS – AWARDS / PRIX

** Panorama des Cinémas du Maghreb et du Moyen Orient (PCMMO) 2024 / Selection

* Winner: Red Sea Souk Work-In-Progress Award, with a grant of 30,000 USD (from RED SEA FUND) | selection: RED SEA SOUK Projects, WORK-IN-PROGRESS SHOWCASE //// Red Sea International Film Festival – RSIFF 2022, Saudi Arabia | Financing already acquired / Financement déjà acquis : 9,340 | https://redseafilmfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Book-of-Projects_English.pdf



Festivals

CANNES 2023 Un Certain Regard | Prix de la mise en scène
CANNES 2023 | Œil d’or du meilleur documentaire
SYDNEY 2023 | Prix Sydney FF
DURBAN 2023 | Meilleur documentaire
VALENCIENNES 2023 | Prix du Jury Compétition documentaire
ATHÈNES 2023 | Athena d’Or
DOK LEIPZIG 2023 | Prix du public
BERGEN 2023 | Prix du documentaire extraordinaire
VALLADOLID 2023 | Prix du public
CINEMED 2023 | Prix des étudiants
DOC NYC 2023 | Prix de la meilleure image
ROME MEDFILM 2023 | Prix de l’expression artistique, Prix du jury universitaire et Prix Valentina Pedicini
KASSEL DOKFEST 2023 | Prix Golden Key
MARRAKECH 2023 | Etoile d’or – Grand Prix
APT cinémas d’Afrique 2023 | Mention spéciale du jury jeunes documentaire



Fontes / Our Source / Nos Sources (READ MORE / PLUS D’INFOS) :
– Africiné Magazine
– https://redseafilmfest.com/en/project-market/
– https://redseafilmfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Book-of-Projects_English.pdf
– www.arizonafilms.fr/films/la-mere-de-tous-les-mensonges/
updated by Thierno DIA, 23 Feb 2023