Izza Génini (born 1942) is a Moroccan movie producer and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. She has lived and worked in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

since 1960.

Biography

Izza Génini was born in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, in 1942 to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. After studying

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and foreign languages at the Sorbonne and the

Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (; ), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French Grand Etablissement with a specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. Its coverage spans languages of Central Europ ...

, both in

, Génini decided to enter cinema. In 1973, she founded SOGEAV for the distribution of French films in French speaking African nations, distribution of African films abroad, and the production of films ''El Hal'' and '' Transes'', the latter of the two directed by Ahmed El Maanouni.

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

would later remaster this film in his World Cinema Project, with an interview with Génini included on the disk. In 1987, Génini began the production of a documentary series on traditional Moroccan music called ''Maroc, corps et âme,'' or ''Morocco, Body and Soul'', containing fifteen parts. From 1970 to 1986, she was the Director of Club 70 productions. Génini was a member of the tribute organization dedicated to the memory of Simon Lévy, who made it his mission to preserve Judeo-Moroccan heritage.

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Genini, Izza Living people 1942 births Moroccan women film directors Mass media people from Casablanca 20th-century Moroccan Jews 21st-century Moroccan Jews