Ali Essafi

Ali Essafi (1963, Morocco) studied psychology in France before entering the world of filmmaking. His works as a director include General, Here We Are, The Silence of the Beet Fields, Ouarzazate Movie and Shikhat’s Blues which have been screened widely on the international circuit. Back in Morocco, he started a long period of research into North-African film & visual archives. These have been transformed into films and artworks such as Wanted and Halaqat which have been exhibited in various exhibitions and events worldwide. During the course of this research, he met the artist Ahmed Bouanani and began to restore works by Bouanani that had hitherto been forgotten. Selected this year for the DAAD residency in Berlin, he is currently finalizing a film shot with Ahmed Bouanani during the last years of his life.