Bouchra

This queer arthouse animation tells the story of a Moroccan coyote trying to build a life for herself in New York.

Director
Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
Starring
Meriem Bennani, Orian Barki, Fayçal Azizi
Country
Italy, Morocco, United States
Languages
English, French, Arabic
Subtitles
English
Age limit
K16
Duration
83 min
Keywords
Animals, Urban spaces, LGBTQIA+, Memory, Female stories, Family ties, Love, Sex, Filmmaking, Africa, Youth

Bouchra is a woman in her thirties who has spent years building a life of her own in New York. Beneath the everyday friction surrounding her career as a filmmaker and her romantic entanglements lie deeper, more painful questions about reconciling her identities as a lesbian and an immigrant with her own roots. Her relationship with her mother, who lives in her native Morocco, becomes central to the story. The result is a coming-of-age story in which the protagonist discovers her adult self, firmly grounded in her own identity.

The characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic animals, and their voices are embodied by creatures such as a coyote, a cow and a bear. The combination of animation, live-action footage and hybrid documentary is thoroughly creative and playful. This multi-dimensional, modern art animation for adults is incredibly cool, queer and meta.

The creators, Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki, rose to prominence during the pandemic with their short animated series 2 Lizards, which was published on Instagram and became a massive viral hit. Bouchra is set in the same universe as the series.

Annu Suvanto

Screenings

  • Kinopalatsi 2
    Fri 18.9. at 16.30–17.53
    83 min, 1/4
  • Kinopalatsi 5
    Mon 21.9. at 21.15–22.38
    83 min, 2/4
  • Gilda 2
    Thu 24.9. at 18.00–19.23
    83 min, 3/4
  • Gilda 1
    Sun 27.9. at 16.15–17.38
    83 min, 4/4
Year
2025
Distributor
Lucky Number
Links

Trailer