Animalia

The heavily pregnant Itto, a simple Berber woman recently married to the successful businessman Amine, dreams of having a day all to herself , away from his overbearing family , who actually think she is not good enough for Amine. And that dream comes true: the entire family is on a business trip, and so she has the luxurious family villa in Imilchil all to herself. Then the government declares a state of emergency: a storm of supernatural proportions has developed in the Atlas Mountains, where Imilchil is also located. Now Itto wants nothing more than to be reunited with her family, but helicopters and armoured vehicles have now sealed off the town from the outside world. Now what?

Director Sofia Alaoui mixes mysticism and the supernatural with themes of identity, class consciousness and the role of women in contemporary Morocco in this intriguing sci-fi drama, her feature debut. Alaoui co-wrote the screenplay, the stunning visuals are by Noé Bach, while the lead role is played by Oumaïma Barid.