The Blue Caftan (Arabic: أزرق القفطان, released in France as Le Bleu du caftan) is a 2022 Moroccan Arabic-language drama film directed by Maryam Touzani, and written by Touzani with the collaboration of Nabil Ayouch. It depicts a woman and her closeted gay husband, who run a caftan store in the medina of Salé, Morocco, and hire a young man as an apprentice. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival,[2][3] where it won the FIPRESCI Prize in its section.
The Blue Caftan | |
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Directed by | Maryam Touzani |
Written by |
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Produced by | Nabil Ayouch |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Virginie Surdej |
Edited by | Nicolas Rumpl |
Music by | Kristian Eidnes Andersen |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 123 minutes[1] |
Countries |
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Language | Arabic |
The Moroccan Cinema Center (Centre cinématographique marocain) announced that The Blue Caftan had been chosen to represent Morocco in the 2023 Oscars shortlist in the "International Feature Film" category.[4]
Cast edit
- Lubna Azabal as Mina
- Saleh Bakri as Halim
- Ayoub Missioui as Youssef
Release edit
The film was selected to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival,[5] where it had its world premiere on 26 May 2022.[6]
The film was released in Morocco on 22 February 2023 by Megarama Distribution.[7] Ad Vitam Distribution released the film in France on 22 March 2023.[8] It was also released in Belgium on 29 March 2023 by Cinéart.[9] Danish distributor Camera Film released the film on 7 September 2023.[10]
International sales are handled by Films Boutique.[11]
Reception edit
Critical response edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A love story shaped by some surprising contours, The Blue Caftan surveys the hidden heart with compassion and grace."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13] The Blue Caftan received an average rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 27 reviews.[14]
Accolades edit
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belgian Film Critics Association | 6 January 2024 | Grand Prix | The Blue Caftan | Nominated | [15] |
Cannes Film Festival | 28 May 2022 | FIPRESCI Prize – Un Certain Regard | Won | [16] | |
Lumières Award | 22 January 2024 | Best International Co-Production | Nominated | [17] | |
Magritte Awards | 9 March 2024 | Best Actress | Lubna Azabal | Won | [18] |
Best Foreign Film in Coproduction | The Blue Caftan | Nominated | [19] | ||
GLAAD Media Award | 14 March 2024 | Outstanding Film – Limited Release | The Blue Caftan | Nominated | [20] |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "The Blue Caftan". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (17 May 2022). "Morocco's Maryam Touzani Tackles Taboo Issues in the Arab World in 'Blue Caftan'". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ Quinlan, Caitlin (26 May 2022). "Un Certain Regard Title 'The Blue Caftan' – Making a Statement in Morocco with a LGBTQ Love Story". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Le long métrage "Le bleu du caftan" de Maryam Touzani représentera le Maroc dans la présélection des Oscars 2023 (CCM)". MAP Express (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (21 April 2022). "17 new titles added to Cannes' Official Selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Cannes: Le Bleu du Caftan de Maryam Touzani projeté le 26 mai". H24info.ma (in French). 25 May 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Qods Chabâa (3 February 2023). "Le Bleu du caftan, film de Meryam Touzani, en salles le 22 février". Le360 (in French). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "De grandes espérances, Le Bleu du caftan, Eternal Daughter... : les films de la semaine aidés par le CNC" (in French). CNC. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Le Bleu du Caftan" (in French). Cinéart. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Christensen, Ralf (7 September 2023). "Marokkansk sansebombe fortæller mest med blikke og med hænder". Dagbladet Information (in Danish). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (9 August 2022). "Cannes Winner 'The Blue Caftan' Lands North American Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "The Blue Caftan". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "The Blue Caftan". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Le Bleu du Caftan". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "'The Quiet Girl' Grand Prix de l'UCC 2024". Cinéart (in French). 8 January 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Latrech, Oumaima (29 May 2022). "'Bleu du Caftan': 1st Moroccan Movie to Win FIPRESCI Prize in Cannes". Morocco World News.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (14 December 2023). "Anatomie d'une chute domine les nominations pour les Lumières". Cineuropa (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ Saint-Amand, François (8 March 2024). "Les Magritte du Cinéma 2024 : "Dalva" remporte sept Magritte dont le Meilleur film, découvrez le palmarès complet". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Nominations aux Magritte : un record pour le long-métrage 'Augure' de Baloji". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ "GLAAD ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE 35th ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS". GLAAD. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.