Franco–Moroccan director Talal Selhami brings a Moroccan legend to life in the upcoming Achoura. The story centers on four friends, reconnecting as adults after one of them who disappeared 25 years ago, suddenly comes back into their lives. Together, they will have to remember and confront the terrifying events of their childhood and fight a monstrous creature born of a horrible legend.
Selhami says, “The times we are living in are going through a terrible period, between economic crisis, terrorism, disease, natural disasters and the Arab world is unfortunately not spared. Far from it. That is why I think that the Arab world also has today, and more than ever, its own fantastic stories to tell. Fantasy cinema makes it possible to bypass taboos, to expose facts, to stimulate the unconscious layers of the spectator, it is therefore, for authors, a wonderful tool for expression.”
In discussing the inspiration behind the story, Selhami also adds, “Childhood and the loss of innocence are subjects that haunt almost all of my projects.”
Achoura is available on digital platforms and DVD December 14.
