OUR TIES to kick-off its Morroccan tour, screen at French Institute

release date May 29 2023

As part of its Moroccan tour, Roschdy Zem's OUR TIES is set to play at the French Institutes of six towns around Morocco from late May to mid-June. This follows the film's recent commercial release at Cinema Akil in the UAE.

The Moroccan tour is set to kick off in El Jadida city on May 31st, before moving on to Agadir and Kenitra on June 2nd. The tour will then continue in several other cities, including Rabat on the 4th and 5th, Casablanca on the 11th, Marrakech on the 7th and 13th, and Meknes on the 9th.

OUR TIES held its world premiere at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival — where it competed for the Golden Lion Grand Prix — and its Arab World premiere in the 44th Cairo International Film Festival's International Panorama Section, and was commercially released in French theaters in November 2022.

The film follows Moussa, who has always been kind, selfless, and there for his family; Unlike his brother Ryad — a high-profile TV presenter who is widely criticized for his egocentricity by those around him, with his only defender being Moussa, who admires him greatly.

When an accident befalls Moussa, causing him serious brain damage, he finds himself speaking without any filter, telling the brutal truth to friends and family alike, leading all to resent him, except Ryad.

As part of the film's consecutive series of victories, OUR TIES was featured in several prestigious worldwide festivals, including the Tromsø, La Roche-sur-Yon, Arras, and Cinémed international film festivals.

The film also received wide acclaim from worldwide media outlets, with Variety's Jessica Kiang saying: "Our Ties is a heartfelt and beautifully played burst of bright chatter that doesn't reinvent the wheel of the domestic drama but does watch it turn with an unusually compassionate, affectionate eye."

Meanwhile, Screen Daily's Lisa Nesselson said that "Our Ties is a completely contemporary, obviously personal, and ultimately uplifting entry in Zem's wide-ranging filmography."

Also, Ben Croll from Indiewire said that “OUR TIES is a fitfully charming odd duck of a film. A health drama that could (and sometimes does) just as easily play as a tearjerker or broad comedy.”

Directed by Roschdy Zem — who co-wrote the script with Maïwenn, a French actress who also stars in the movie, previously won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for several César Awards — OUR TIES stars a group of award-winning actors, including Sami Bouajila.

The cast also includes Rachid Bouchareb — who has received several awards from Cannes, Berlin, and Locarno, as well as a César Award — Roschdy Zem, Meriem Serbah, Abel Jafri, Lila Fernandez, and Nina Zem.