Writer, director and producer, born in Morocco (Settat) on April 12th, 1950, Hassan Benjelloun’s first feature film “The Others’ Feast” was released in 1990.

Then, followed in 1994 “Yarit”, “Yesterday’s Friends” in 1997, “The lips of silence” in 2000 and “Judgement of Women” in 2001. This film, which discussed the situation of women in Morocco, has been honoured in many international festivals. In 2004, “The Dark Room”, that presents the difficult years of Morocco in the ‘70s, received the top prize at the African Festival of Khouribga and the Silver Yennenga prize of the Fespaco Festival.

Hassan’s latest film “Where are you going Moshé?” presents the Jewish exodus from Morocco towards Israel in the ‘60s.

In the early 1960s, after Morocco’s independence from France, many of the country’s Jews clandestinely left for Israel. In Finemachiyamoshe (Where Are You Going Moshe?, known also as Al-Hana, the Bar), the Jews of the little town of Bejjad plot their departure with the help of their rabbi. One thing, however, worries them: Will Berbeq’ha, the idiot who thinks he’s a general, leave too? Once he learns of the Jews’ plans, Mustapha, the bar-owner, panics; if all the non-Muslims leave, the Law will make him close the bar. How will he avoid such a disaster? He’ll have to hold back one Jew. That’s Hassan’s idea, Mustapha’s son and lover of Rachel.

Source: http://www.pjo.ca/finemachiyamoche/hBenjelloun-bio.htm