Morocco / 2007 / 110mins / Drama / Arabic and French

Mohamed Ismail’s Goodbye Mothers dares to depict the peaceful co-existence in 1960s Casablanca of two families, one Muslim and one Jewish. The film touches on the historical period known as the "Black Years of Emigration," when Moroccan Jews faced a pervading sense of hesitation between two conflicting desires, remaining in Morocco or uprooting themselves to emigrate to Israel.

Mohamed Ismaïl

Born in 1951 in Tétouan, Morocco, Mohamed Ismaïl was a notable director, scriptwriter and producer in Moroccan cinema. He studied law in Rabat in 1970. In 1974, he began working in the television industry of Morocco and made a number of films and theater works. His award-winning films have screened and won awards at festivals worldwide. Most notably, he won the prize for Best Screenplay at the Brussels Independent Film Festival for his film Ici et là, and the Golden Star for Best TV film for Allal al Kalda. Ismaïl passed away in Morocco in March 2021. Learn More