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 ''Marock'' is the 2005 cinema of Morocco, Moroccan film by director Laïla Marrakchi. The film was 2006's most successful film in Morocco, taking more than 3 million dirhams at the Moroccan box-office, according to TelQuel. It was very controvers ...

'' and ''

Rock the Casbah "Rock the Casbah" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released in 1982. The song was released as the second single from their fifth album, ''Combat Rock''. It reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the US (t ...

,'' films which dealt with sexual taboos, cultural and religious values, and female emancipation 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 t ...

. She also starred in

Pascal Laugier Pascal Laugier (; born 16 October 1971) is a French screenwriter and film director. Career Laugier is a former assistant to director Christophe Gans, having directed the "making-of" documentary about Gans' 2001 film, ''Brotherhood of the Wolf' ...

'''s'' horror film ''

Martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

,'' a polarizing film and associated with the

New French Extremity New French Extremity (New French Extremism or, informally, New French Extreme) is a term coined by ''Artforum'' critic James Quandt for a collection of transgressive films by French directors at the turn of the 21st century. Also available othe ...

movement.

Biography

Alaoui spent her early life in the Anfa neighborhood of Casablanca, Morocco, and studied at the

Casablanca American School Casablanca American School is a coeducational, nursery through grade twelve private day school in Casablanca, Morocco. It is located in the suburban Californie neighborhood. History The school was founded in 1973 and was the first school in ...

. At 18, Alaoui moved to

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, where she studied at the

American University of Paris The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private, independent, and accredited liberal arts university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe, and the first t ...

. While attending the university, she met director Laila Marrakchi, who offered her a role in the film ''

'' (2005). ''Marock'' was critically acclaimed and provided Alaoui national fame. In 2007, she began filming ''

'', for which she is also known. In 2016 Alaoui starred in psychological thriller ''Broken'' directed by Shaun Robert Smith.

Filmography

References

External links

* Moroccan film actresses People from Casablanca 1983 births Living people Moroccan emigrants to the United States American film actresses 21st-century Moroccan actresses American University of Paris alumni 21st-century American women {{Morocco-bio-stub