18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
‘The Wound' set for Moroccan premiere at Casablanca Arab Film Festival
The film will also be released in theaters across Morocco shortly after its Casablanca premiere.
After a successful international festival run, The Wound, the debut feature from Moroccan filmmaker Seloua El Gouni, is set to make its national premiere at the Casablanca Arab Film Festival, which runs until June 20. Following screenings at platforms such as Cannes, Beirut and Athens, the Casablanca showing marks a symbolic return home for the acclaimed drama.
Shortly after its Moroccan premiere, The Wound will be released in theatres across the country, allowing local audiences to experience what has become one of the most discussed Moroccan films of the year. The film continues its international momentum, having been selected for the Official Competition at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Malta, which runs from June 21 to 29.
The Wound centres on Leila, a young Moroccan woman entering adulthood and the workforce, as she attempts to forge her path while grappling with societal expectations and the limitations placed on women. Through her story, the film delves into themes of identity, gender roles, and the tension between tradition and modernity in Morocco.
Director Seloua El Gouni describes the film as a journey through the intersection of cultural heritage and the search for personal autonomy, set in a society where the voices of tradition often challenge those of individualism.
The film recently held its Arab World premiere at the Beirut International Women's Film Festival and previously earned the Best First Feature Award at the Athens International Art Film Festival. It has also screened at several international events, including the Bridges International Film Festival, the Women and World International Film Festival in the UK, the Scandinavian International Film Festival in Finland, and the Lift-Off Sessions for New Directors in the UK, where it won the Audience Choice Award.
Produced by El Gouni and Taha Benghalem, who co-wrote the script with Brice and Brian Baxter, The Wound features performances from Oumaima Barid, Amal Ayouch, Mansour Badri, Brice Bexter, Soraya Azzabi, Abdelhak Saleh and Sami Fekkak, with cinematography by Travis Tips. International sales are managed by MAD World.
El Gouni, who previously worked on Hollywood productions such as Men in Black: International and A Hologram for the King, marks her transition into directing with The Wound — an exploration of female agency and cultural identity in contemporary Morocco.
