According to the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), Nabil Ayouch marks a first in the history of Moroccan cinema, as "Casablanca Beats is the first movie to compete at the official selection of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival."
Moroccan movies took part in different categories of the Cannes Film Festival, including "La Semaine de la critique", "Un certain regard" or "La quinzaine des réalisateurs".
"The participation in the official selection shows the international reputation of Moroccan cinema," it added.
"Casablanca Beats", produced by "Ali n' Productions" in 2020, benefited from the support fund for the production of cinematographic works.
Chadian Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has already competed in Cannes with "A Screaming Man" in 2010 (Jury Prize), "Grisgris" in 2013 and "Hissein Habré" in 2016.
For this edition, he competes with "Lingui, the Sacred Bonds" which tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl who must resolve an unwanted pregnancy in a country where law and religion are opposed to abortion.
A total of 24 films are in the line-up of the official selection of the 74th Cannes Film Festival, scheduled from July 6 to 17.