Kamal Lazraq (
Arabic: ; born 1984) is a Moroccan filmmaker.
Early life and education
Kamal Lazraq was born in
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
in 1984,
where he was also raised.
He moved to
Paris in 2003, where he studied
political science.
Seeking to pursue a career in filmmaking, Lazraq gained admission to
La Fémis in 2007 without extensive prior experience. During his studies, he made several short films.
His 2011 graduation project, ''Drari'', was filmed in Casablanca with non-professional actors.
He cited his move to Paris as a pivotal moment, and his access to a wider variety of films in Paris contrasted with the limited options in Casablanca. In an interview for Cannes, Lazraq recalls
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...
’s ''
Autumn Sonata'' being his "first shock, something that make me understand all the emotional power there could be in cinema".
Career
Lazraq's graduation project, ''Drari'', won the second prize in the
Cinéfondation category at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South Ko ...
, as well as the Grand Prix for short films at the
Entrevues Belfort Film Festival. Following this success, he directed ''L'Homme au chien'' (''Moul Lkelb'') in 2014, also filmed in Casablanca. Lazraq released his first feature film, ''
Hounds'', in 2023.
Filmography
* ''Drari'' (2011)
* ''Moul Lkelb'' (2014)
* ''
Hounds'' (2023)
References
{{Reflist
1984 births
People from Casablanca
Moroccan directors
Living people