COACHELLA VALLEY PREMIERE

When successful entrepreneur and businessman Moulay Hassan (Omar Sharif) dies, in accordance with Muslim tradition, his family reunites at their home in Tangiers to spend three days sharing their memories and grieving his loss.  Sparks start to fly when prodigal daughter Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) jets in from New York.  The youngest of three sisters, Sofia has made a new life for herself as an actress in America.  Her return provides the opportunity to settle some scores with her sisters, as the order once maintained by Moulay breaks down.

Writer | Director:  Laïla Marrakchi
Running Time:  100 min.
Genre:  Drama
Distributor:  Pathé
Country:  France | Morocco
Language:  French | Arabic w|English subtitles
Rating:  N | R
Starring:  Omar Sharif, Hiam Abbass, Morjana Alaoui, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal

FESTIVALS:  Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême, France; Toronto International Film Festival, Canada; Tangier Film Festival,

Morocco; Sydney Film Festival, Australia; US: Mizna Arab Film Festival, Minneapolis, Whitehead Film Festival, Claremont, CA

AWARDS:  Dubai International Film Festival, Muhr Arab Award

“Despite the familiarity of its tale about recriminations, revelations and reconciliations during a family gathering for a funeral, “Rock the Casbah” is consistently engaging and frequently amusing.”  … Variety