BEHIND THE PALM TREES DERRIÈRE LES PALMIERS MERYEM BENM’BAREK

  • MOROCCO | FRANCE

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  • FRENCH | ARABIC

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  • 2025

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  • 94 mins

In Tangier, Mehdi’s relationship with Selma is disrupted when he meets Marie, a wealthy Frenchwoman whose parents have purchased a luxurious villa in the kasbah. Drawn to her glamorous lifestyle, he drifts away from Selma, pretending not to see that his choices will eventually catch up with him.

Producer(s) or Production Company :

Jean Bréhat, Emma Binet

Screenplay :

Meryem Benm’barek, Fyzal Boulifa, Emma Benestan – Agnès Feuvre

Director of Photography :

Son Doan

Editor :

Christel Dewynter

Music :

Jim Williams

Sound :

Fabrice Osinski, Jeremy Hassid, Julien Perez

Cast :

Sara Giraudeau, Driss Ramdi, Nadia Kounda, Carole Bouquet, Olivier Rabourdin, Soumaya Akaaboune

Premier Status :

Asian Premier

Awards - Nominations | Screened | Official Selection :

Marrakech IFF (Official selection, World Premiere)

Meryem Benm’Barek (b.1984, Rabat) grew up between Morocco, France, and Belgium. During her studies at INSAS, she directed several short films, including JENNAH (2014), which was selected at numerous IFFs and shortlisted for the 2015 Academy Awards. In 2018, her debut feature film SOFIA won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes FF in the Un Certain Regard section, before going on to receive several awards worldwide. BEHIND THE PALM TREES is her second feature film.