''Rock the Casbah'' is a 2013 French-Moroccan

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Laïla Marrakchi Laila Marrakchi (born 1975 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan film maker most famous for the controversial film ''Marock''. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. She is married to film director Alexandr ...

. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the

2013 Toronto International Film Festival The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. '' The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and '' Life of Crime'' was the closing film. 75 films were ...

Plot

After Moroccan entrepreneur Moulay Hassan (

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

) abruptly dies of a heart attack members of his family come together for a three-day mourning period over his death. Foremost among the mourners are Aicha (

Hiam Abbass Hiam Abbass ( ar, هيام عباس, he, היאם עבאס; born 30 November 1960), also Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director. Personal life Hiam Abbass was born in Nazareth, Israel, to a Muslim Arab family. She was raised ...

), his wife, and his three daughters Miriam (

Nadine Labaki Nadine Labaki ( ar, نادين لبكي ''Nādīn Labikī''; born February 18, 1974) is a Lebanese actress, director and activist. Labaki first came into the spotlight as an actress in the early 2000s. Her film-making career began in 2007 after ...

), Kenza (

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal (born 15 August 1973) is a Belgian actress of Moroccan–Spanish descent. Career Azabal was born on 15 August 1973 in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother.Morjana Alaoui Morjana Alaoui ( ar, مرجانة العلوي; born November 30, 1982) is a Moroccan- French actress. She is best known for her starring roles in director Laila Marrakchi's ''Marock'' and ''Rock the Casbah,'' films which dealt with sexual taboo ...

). Sofia is someone estranged from her family, having left Morocco to act in Hollywood years before. Furthering the rift between her and her family is the fact that her older sister Leyla committed suicide years before, in part because Moulay was controlling towards her and refused to let her marry Zakaria, the son of their maid, who she was in love with. Despite trying to reconnect with her family Sofia finds herself feuding with them when they discover that she is divorcing her American husband and is critical of her sisters decisions to marry Moroccan men whom their father approved of but whom they do not love. Sofia temporarily leaves her mourning family to spend time with Zakaria but fights with him after he leaves her at a club to go have sex with the mother of his child in the bathroom. Fighting with Zakaria, Sofia learns that her sister Leyla was pregnant when she committed suicide. While going through her father's things Sofia finds a picture of Zakaria with her father and the maid looking like a family. She realizes that Zakaria was her father's biological son making him her half-brother. Zakaria also receives a call from the executor of Moulay's estate and learns that he was Moulay's son, and also his heir. At the reading of the will the other sisters discover the truth including the fact that Aicha knew that Zakaria was Moulay's son. Initially horrified, they decide to forgive their mother after she tells them that she kept silent in order to preserve family unity. Furthermore she encourages Zakaria to accept his inheritance, which is greater than that of the sisters as he is the sole male heir. Reconciled, the entire family gathers together to watch old home movies from when the sisters were little girls. They are interrupted by the arrival of Sofia's husband who left the set of his latest film in order to reunite with her.

Cast

Morjana Alaoui Morjana Alaoui ( ar, مرجانة العلوي; born November 30, 1982) is a Moroccan- French actress. She is best known for her starring roles in director Laila Marrakchi's ''Marock'' and ''Rock the Casbah,'' films which dealt with sexual taboo ...

as Sofia *

as Miriam *

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal (born 15 August 1973) is a Belgian actress of Moroccan–Spanish descent. Career Azabal was born on 15 August 1973 in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother.Hiam Abbass Hiam Abbass ( ar, هيام عباس, he, היאם עבאס; born 30 November 1960), also Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director. Personal life Hiam Abbass was born in Nazareth, Israel, to a Muslim Arab family. She was raised ...

as Aicha *

as Moulay Hassan

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock The Casbah 2013 films 2013 drama films French drama films Moroccan drama films 2010s French-language films 2010s English-language films 2010s Arabic-language films Films directed by Laïla Marrakchi Films scored by Robin Coudert Pathé films Films shot in Morocco Films set in Tangier 2013 multilingual films French multilingual films Moroccan multilingual films 2010s French films