DIRECTOR: Nabil Ayouch
STARRING: Nisrin Erradi, Joud Chamihy, Jalila Talemsi
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 42 minutes
LANGUAGE: Arabic
Touda is a sheikha who performs in dingy bars to make ends meet. But Touda has a passion. She struggles for her art to be recognized in order to ensure a better future for her deaf and mute son Yassine.
***
Everybody Loves Touda is the sixth submission for the Oscars for acclaimed director Nabil Ayouch. His previous five films that represented Morocco are Mektoub (1998), Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000), Horses of God (2013), Razzia (2017), and Casablanca Beats (2021). Along with Nabil Ayouch, Maryam Touzani also wrote the screenplay for Everybody Loves Touda. She directed the films Adam (2019) and The Blue Caftan (2022). The film made its worldwide debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
On March 3, 2024 at the Maroc Cinema Centre, led by M. Tariq Khalami, it was announced that Everybody Loves Touda was the winner to represent Morocco for the Oscars.
The film was produced by Ali N' Productions, Les Films du Nouveau Monde, Velvet Films, and Snowglobe, which include Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, and Sebastian Schelenz. MK2 Films owns international sales of the film.
Everybody Loves Touda is a musical drama and it was filmed in Casablanca, Morocco.
To check out all previous submissions for Morocco, click HERE.
STARRING: Nisrin Erradi, Joud Chamihy, Jalila Talemsi
RUNNING TIME: 1 hr 42 minutes
LANGUAGE: Arabic
Touda is a sheikha who performs in dingy bars to make ends meet. But Touda has a passion. She struggles for her art to be recognized in order to ensure a better future for her deaf and mute son Yassine.
***
Everybody Loves Touda is the sixth submission for the Oscars for acclaimed director Nabil Ayouch. His previous five films that represented Morocco are Mektoub (1998), Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets (2000), Horses of God (2013), Razzia (2017), and Casablanca Beats (2021). Along with Nabil Ayouch, Maryam Touzani also wrote the screenplay for Everybody Loves Touda. She directed the films Adam (2019) and The Blue Caftan (2022). The film made its worldwide debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
On March 3, 2024 at the Maroc Cinema Centre, led by M. Tariq Khalami, it was announced that Everybody Loves Touda was the winner to represent Morocco for the Oscars.
The film was produced by Ali N' Productions, Les Films du Nouveau Monde, Velvet Films, and Snowglobe, which include Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, and Sebastian Schelenz. MK2 Films owns international sales of the film.
Everybody Loves Touda is a musical drama and it was filmed in Casablanca, Morocco.
To check out all previous submissions for Morocco, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“What’s he got, my love? What’s he got against me? Heal me from this pain, Lord.”
Everybody Loves Touda is a poignant and strikingly human film that takes audiences on an emotional journey through the life of a woman determined to reclaim her life in a society that seeks to limit her. Directed by Nabil Ayouch and co-written with Maryam Touzani, the film centers on Touda, played with remarkable depth by Nisrin Erradi, a rural Moroccan mother with aspirations of becoming a sheikha, a traditional folk singer. Set against the vibrant yet oppressive backdrop of a small town, Touda’s struggle to balance her love for music, her role as a mother, and her pursuit of personal freedom offers a stirring meditation on the complexities of gender, power, and self-identity.
At the heart of the film is Erradi’s captivating performance. She imbues Touda with both vulnerability and fierce determination, creating a character who is at once deeply relatable and uniquely powerful. Erradi’s portrayal of Touda’s emotional journey, ranging from moments of quiet reflection to powerful performances of aita, the poetic folk music of Moroccan women, anchors the film. Whether she’s facing exploitation in nightclubs or enduring the judgments of her community, Touda's resilience in the face of adversity becomes a symbol of the fight for self-expression in an unforgiving world.
The film’s narrative is driven by Touda’s dual desires: to pursue her passion for singing and to provide a better future for her deaf son. This personal journey is skillfully interwoven with broader societal themes, as the film critiques how women’s autonomy is frequently stifled by both men and traditional expectations. Ayouch and Touzani deftly depict the social constraints that Touda must navigate, from the oppressive male gaze that reduces her artistry to her body, to the rigid societal norms that push her to conform to the roles of wife and mother. Yet, throughout the film, Touda resists these pressures, her voice, both literally and metaphorically, refusing to be silenced.
What truly elevates Everybody Loves Touda is its ability to blend the intimate and the universal. Touda's relationships, particularly with her son and her community, are rendered with a tenderness that makes her journey deeply personal, while simultaneously reflecting the struggles of countless women across the world. The film explores themes of motherhood, artistic ambition, and societal repression, making it not just a portrait of one woman's fight for freedom, but a broader commentary on the ways in which love, duty, and passion often collide in a world that demands women sacrifice their dreams.
Everybody Loves Touda delivers a stirring and powerful message about resilience, self-determination, and the courage it takes to stand up to a world that wants to define who you are. Ayouch’s film is a tribute to women like Touda who dare to pursue their own path, reminding us that true freedom comes not from societal acceptance, but from the audacity to love and believe in oneself despite the odds.
(This review contains spoilers.)
“What’s he got, my love? What’s he got against me? Heal me from this pain, Lord.”
Everybody Loves Touda is a poignant and strikingly human film that takes audiences on an emotional journey through the life of a woman determined to reclaim her life in a society that seeks to limit her. Directed by Nabil Ayouch and co-written with Maryam Touzani, the film centers on Touda, played with remarkable depth by Nisrin Erradi, a rural Moroccan mother with aspirations of becoming a sheikha, a traditional folk singer. Set against the vibrant yet oppressive backdrop of a small town, Touda’s struggle to balance her love for music, her role as a mother, and her pursuit of personal freedom offers a stirring meditation on the complexities of gender, power, and self-identity.
At the heart of the film is Erradi’s captivating performance. She imbues Touda with both vulnerability and fierce determination, creating a character who is at once deeply relatable and uniquely powerful. Erradi’s portrayal of Touda’s emotional journey, ranging from moments of quiet reflection to powerful performances of aita, the poetic folk music of Moroccan women, anchors the film. Whether she’s facing exploitation in nightclubs or enduring the judgments of her community, Touda's resilience in the face of adversity becomes a symbol of the fight for self-expression in an unforgiving world.
The film’s narrative is driven by Touda’s dual desires: to pursue her passion for singing and to provide a better future for her deaf son. This personal journey is skillfully interwoven with broader societal themes, as the film critiques how women’s autonomy is frequently stifled by both men and traditional expectations. Ayouch and Touzani deftly depict the social constraints that Touda must navigate, from the oppressive male gaze that reduces her artistry to her body, to the rigid societal norms that push her to conform to the roles of wife and mother. Yet, throughout the film, Touda resists these pressures, her voice, both literally and metaphorically, refusing to be silenced.
What truly elevates Everybody Loves Touda is its ability to blend the intimate and the universal. Touda's relationships, particularly with her son and her community, are rendered with a tenderness that makes her journey deeply personal, while simultaneously reflecting the struggles of countless women across the world. The film explores themes of motherhood, artistic ambition, and societal repression, making it not just a portrait of one woman's fight for freedom, but a broader commentary on the ways in which love, duty, and passion often collide in a world that demands women sacrifice their dreams.
Everybody Loves Touda delivers a stirring and powerful message about resilience, self-determination, and the courage it takes to stand up to a world that wants to define who you are. Ayouch’s film is a tribute to women like Touda who dare to pursue their own path, reminding us that true freedom comes not from societal acceptance, but from the audacity to love and believe in oneself despite the odds.
