''Mokhtar'' is a Canadian short drama film, directed by

Halima Ouardiri Halima Ouardiri is a Swiss-Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter.Ismaël Houdassine"Une vie de chien avec « Clebs » de Halima Ouardiri" Radio Canada International, February 21, 2020. Career Ouardiri first garnered acclaim for her ...

and released in 2010.Bruce Kirkland, "Short film Mokhtar stands tall". ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'', September 8, 2010. Shot in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, the film centres on a young boy from a family of

goatherd A goatherd or goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. It is similar to a shepherd who herds sheep. Goatherds are most commonly found in regions where goat populations are significant; for instance, in Africa and South Asi ...

s, who brings home an injured

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

but must confront his superstitious father's belief that the bird is an omen of bad luck. The film was based on a true story, told to Ouardiri by the handyman who worked for a family she was staying with on a trip to Morocco, about his own childhood experience. The film premiered at the

2010 Toronto International Film Festival The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. '' La ...

. It was subsequently screened at the 2010 Vancouver International Film Festival, where Ouardiri won the award for Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film. The film was named to TIFF's year-end

Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival and announced in December each year to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema" ...

list for 2010, and was a shortlisted

Jutra Award The Prix Iris is a Canadian film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in Quebec.Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...

at the 13th Jutra Awards in 2011.Marc Cassivi
"Soirée des Jutra: Incendies, favori d'un cru relevé"
'' La Presse'', February 9, 2011. It was subsequently screened at the 2011

Quebec City Film Festival Quebec City Film Festival (french: Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec) (FCVQ or QCFF) is a film festival held annually in September in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It screens short and feature films and premieres movies from all over the ...

, where it won the People's Choice award for short films.

References

External links

* 2010 films 2010 short films Canadian drama short films Quebec films Films shot in Morocco EyeSteelFilm films French-language Canadian films 2010s Canadian films {{2010s-Canada-film-stub