Director

Farida Benlyazid

Cast list

Chaabia Laadraoui - Kirana

Eva Saint-Paul - Leila

Zakia Tahri - Nadia

Synopsis

This film goes into the topic of embracing the Islamic culture as a woman. The protagonist in this film, Nadia, comes home to Morocco from Paris. Being a model for western culture Paris instilled values in Nadia that went against the traditional Muslim religion. Benyazid develops the protagonist into an individual who at the beginning is separate from her religious roots. Upon coming back to the predominantly Islamic city of Fez, Nadia develops a close relationship with Kirana. After the death of her father Kirana becomes Nadia’s spiritual mentor and shows her how to become more comfortable within the Islamic faith. In this story Farida Benlyazid reveals a softer side of Islam vastly different from the radically strict model commonly shown in the media.

Reviews

Youness Abeddor, Farida Benlyazid’s A Door to the Sky (1988),  (online blog)

Yto Barrada, Cinematheque Tangier

Judy Bloch, University of California Berkley Art Museum

Academic Articles:

Cooke, Miriam. Middle East Studies Association Bulletin2 (1992): 269–270. Web…

Helfgott, Leonard. The American Historical Review4 (1994): 1261–1262. Web…

“Farida Benlyazid’s Initiation Narrative: A Door to the Sky (morocco, 1988)”. “Farida Benlyazid’s Initiation Narrative: A Door to the Sky (morocco, 1988)”. Screens and Veils: Maghrebi Women’s Cinema. Indiana University Press, 2011. 63–88. Web…