{"id":3536,"date":"2025-12-02T14:45:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=3536"},"modified":"2025-12-02T14:45:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T14:45:39","slug":"a-personal-and-analytical-reading-of-meryam-touzanis-words-when-cinema-becomes-an-emotional-response-before-an-artistic-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/a-personal-and-analytical-reading-of-meryam-touzanis-words-when-cinema-becomes-an-emotional-response-before-an-artistic-project\/","title":{"rendered":"A personal and analytical reading of Meryam Touzani\u2019s words: when cinema becomes an emotional response before an artistic project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3249\" data-end=\"3590\">What Meryam Touzani expressed at this year\u2019s Marrakech International Film Festival was not just a passing statement. It was almost a <strong data-start=\"3382\" data-end=\"3401\">rare confession<\/strong>, the kind filmmakers seldom share on camera. When asked, \u201cWhere do your stories come from?\u201d her disarmingly simple answer\u2014<strong data-start=\"3524\" data-end=\"3549\">\u201cI don\u2019t know myself\u201d<\/strong>\u2014opens the door to the real conversation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"xb57i2i x1q594ok x5lxg6s x78zum5 xdt5ytf x6ikm8r x1ja2u2z x1pq812k x1rohswg xfk6m8 x1yqm8si xjx87ck xx8ngbg xwo3gff x1n2onr6 x1oyok0e x1odjw0f x1iyjqo2 xy5w88m\">\n<div class=\"x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x1n2onr6 xaci4zi x129vozr\">\n<div class=\"html-div xdj266r x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x7ywyr2\">\n<div class=\"x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x9f619 x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xyamay9\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x2lwn1j\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xf7dkkf xv54qhq x1k70j0n xzueoph xzboxd6 x14l7nz5\">\n<div class=\"x6s0dn4 xal61yo x1obq294 x5a5i1n xde0f50 x15x8krk x78zum5 xdt5ytf x6ikm8r x10wlt62 x1n2onr6 xh8yej3\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"xl1xv1r\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1399133885175983%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" width=\"267\" height=\"476\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1s85apg xtijo5x xexx8yu x18d9i69 x135b78x x11lfxj5 x47corl x10l6tqk x13vifvy x1n4smgl x19991ni xwji4o3 x1kky2od x1hc1fzr x1mq3mr6\" data-visualcompletion=\"ignore\" data-thumb=\"1\">\n<div class=\"x1hwfnsy xjwep3j x1t39747 x1wcsgtt x1pczhz8 x5yr21d xh8yej3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x9f619 x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xyamay9 x1l90r2v\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x1iyjqo2 x2lwn1j\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xf7dkkf xv54qhq x1k70j0n xzueoph xzboxd6 x14l7nz5\">\n<div class=\"x9f619 x1ja2u2z x1n2onr6 x1a2a7pz x78zum5\" role=\"none\"><strong style=\"color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3596\" data-end=\"3654\">Writing as a psychological state before it\u2019s technical<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3655\" data-end=\"3992\">Listening to her, it becomes clear that Touzani doesn\u2019t treat cinema as a craft but as a <strong data-start=\"3744\" data-end=\"3771\">vital form of breathing<\/strong>. She doesn\u2019t write because she has a story or a message ready, she writes because she <strong data-start=\"3858\" data-end=\"3878\">cannot not write<\/strong>.<br data-start=\"3879\" data-end=\"3882\" \/>This instinctive writing begins in the body: in a shiver, in a pain, in a memory that refuses to be forgotten.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3994\" data-end=\"4016\"><strong data-start=\"3998\" data-end=\"4016\">A rare honesty<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4017\" data-end=\"4334\">Saying she doesn\u2019t know where her stories come from is not a sign of ignorance but a <strong data-start=\"4102\" data-end=\"4133\">statement of artistic truth<\/strong>:<br data-start=\"4134\" data-end=\"4137\" \/><strong data-start=\"4137\" data-end=\"4193\">\u201cI don\u2019t invent the stories\u2026 they knock at my door.\u201d<\/strong><br data-start=\"4193\" data-end=\"4196\" \/>While many directors construct the image of the omniscient creator, Touzani chooses sincerity, inviting the audience into her inner world.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4336\" data-end=\"4368\"><strong data-start=\"4340\" data-end=\"4368\">But\u2026 is instinct enough?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4369\" data-end=\"4647\">This instinct-driven creativity appeals to critics, but it raises an essential question:<br data-start=\"4457\" data-end=\"4460\" \/>Can cinema always feed solely on emotion?<br data-start=\"4501\" data-end=\"4504\" \/>Or does every inner impulse eventually need conscious structure, a form to guide it?<br data-start=\"4588\" data-end=\"4591\" \/>This tension is what makes her work uniquely compelling.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4649\" data-end=\"4683\"><strong data-start=\"4653\" data-end=\"4683\">Touzani in Moroccan cinema<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4684\" data-end=\"5078\">In a cinematic context oscillating between experimentation and social engagement, Touzani\u2019s approach poses a fundamental question: should cinema express <strong data-start=\"4837\" data-end=\"4849\">the self<\/strong> or <strong data-start=\"4853\" data-end=\"4866\">the world<\/strong>?<br data-start=\"4867\" data-end=\"4870\" \/>She clearly leans toward the <strong data-start=\"4899\" data-end=\"4907\">self<\/strong>, the inner movement, the silence before the light. This gives her films a particular sensitivity and places her in a continuous dialogue about the very meaning of cinema.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5080\" data-end=\"5117\"><strong data-start=\"5084\" data-end=\"5117\">What does this \u201cneed\u201d reveal?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5118\" data-end=\"5402\">When everything starts from a \u201cneed\u201d rather than an idea, there is an unspoken call, an inner obsession:<br data-start=\"5222\" data-end=\"5225\" \/>Is it a need for recognition?<br data-start=\"5254\" data-end=\"5257\" \/>For protection?<br data-start=\"5272\" data-end=\"5275\" \/>To confront a personal weakness?<br data-start=\"5307\" data-end=\"5310\" \/>Or to speak what society cannot hear?<br data-start=\"5347\" data-end=\"5350\" \/>This is what makes her artistic journey so singular.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5409\" data-end=\"5427\"><strong data-start=\"5413\" data-end=\"5427\">Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5428\" data-end=\"5775\">Touzani\u2019s words reveal not just her writing process but her relationship with herself, her history, and the emotional spaces that become film.<br data-start=\"5570\" data-end=\"5573\" \/>There is in her speech <strong data-start=\"5596\" data-end=\"5631\">poetry, anxiety, and confession<\/strong>\u2014making the study of her experience essential for understanding not only her films but also the transformations of contemporary Moroccan cinema.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Meryam Touzani expressed at this year\u2019s Marrakech International Film Festival was not just a passing statement. It was almost a rare confession, the kind filmmakers seldom share on camera. When asked, \u201cWhere do your stories come from?\u201d her disarmingly simple answer\u2014\u201cI don\u2019t know myself\u201d\u2014opens the door to the real conversation. Writing as a psychological [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,109,112,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-22nd-edition-of-the-marrakech-international-film-festival","category-cinema-diplomacy","category-cinema-diplomacy-cultural-diplomacy","category-cultural-diplomacy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3538,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions\/3538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}