Bouchra
Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
How does a young female coyote cope with a breakup and creative drought? Through lengthy phone calls with her mother in Morocco? Or through hookups and parties in New York? Bouchra says: both help! She works on writing a screenplay and thinks back to Morocco, to her family, friends, and the culture. The video game-style animated film depicts her in two worlds: Smoking cigarettes on the rooftops of New York’s skyscrapers and dancing among family members.
Deep conversations about identity are lovingly entwined into the narrative, with joy and sadness existing side by side. Bouchra is a sparkling tribute to friendship, family, and art.
Bouchra shines in more ways than one: in its animation style, that drenches everything in a soft shimmering light, and through its protagonist, who pursues her goals with unwavering conviction. A visually unique film that stops at no lengths.
1 May 2026
22:00 h, Mal Seh'n Kino
More information
| Direction | Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani |
| Country | Italy, Marocco, USA |
| Production year | 2025 |
| Duration | 83 min |
| Language | French, English, Arabic |
| Language Version | OV with English Subs |
| Production | 2 Lizards |
| Production company | 2 Lizards Production, Hi Production, Fondazione Prada |
| Distribution | Lucky Number |
| Director of Photography | John Michael Boling |
| Script | Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani, Ayla Mrabet |
| Montage | Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani |
| Sound | Taul Katz |
| Music | Flavien Berger |
| Sound Design | Taul Katz |
TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL 2025, New York 2025
Meriem Bennani was born in Rabat, Marocco and is an artist and filmmaker. Orian Barki, born in Tel Aviv, is a documentary filmmaker. They both live and work in New York. They have worked together on their animated series 2 Lizards and founded a production company with the same name. Bouchra is their first feauture film together.
"Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani direct a surreal, animated autofiction musing on queerness, creativity and the North African diaspora. Everything about it is made with such intelligence and rigour." (David Katz for cineuropa)
"The fact that Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani’s insightful and often playful debut feature Bouchra combines documentary techniques with an inventive narrative structure, and uses 3D animation, would be enough to make it an unique work. But what makes it a singular piece is its disarming and affecting honesty." (Robyn Citizen for TIFF)
GERMAN PREMIERE
International Feature Film Program
