TriBeCa hosts first Moroccan film festival in the US

 If you're in the NY area later this month, head out to the first-ever (really?) Moroccan film festival in the US held at the Tribeca Cinema on Oct. 29 & 30. Some old, some new, some good, some great, (at least one bad) and all by Moroccan directors, with the notable exception of the documentary I Heart Hip Hop in Morocco (a must-see). Plus, each film is accompanied by a short from up-and-coming young students from the film school in Marrakesh, L’Ecole Supérieur des Arts Visuels.

Procceds from the Opening Night Charity Benefit and Festival goes to a good cause, the High Atlas Foundation (started by former Peace Corps volunteers) that supports development projects in rural Morocco.


 If I may permit myself to wander into Robert Ebert territory, here's the film lineup (more info here):

Oct. 29
Burned Hearts (Les Coeurs Brulés) (2009) Dir. Ahmed El Maanouni 
Moussem Dir. Izza Génini (highly recommended, she makes great documentaries)

Oct. 30

Looking for My Wife’s Husband (1995) Dir. Abderraham Tazi (hilarious premise; old but good) 
I Love Hip Hop in Morocco (2007) Dir. Josh Asen & Jennifer Needleman
The Dog’s Life of Juanita Narboni (2005) Dir. Farida Benlyazid
La Grande Villa (2002) Dir. Latif Lahlou 
In Pieces  (2009) Dir. Hakim Belabbes
Where Are You Going, Moishe? (2007) Dir. Hassan Ben Jalloun

Tenja (Testament) (2004) Dir. Hassan Legzouli

Casanegra (2009) Dir. Nour-Eddine  Lakhmari

Marock (2006) Dir. Laila Marrakchi (this one was a hit a few years back) 

More Moroccan-inspired designs by Younes Duret

Franco-Moroccan designer Younes Duret has been keeping busy, with his inventive modern designs drawing from his multicultural background to create humorous and beautiful objects for daily life.

Who doesn't enjoy a beautiful presentation when it comes les arts de la table? Younes adds to his portfolio of servingware (including a surprising heat-sensitive tray and his chunky take on the traditional Moroccan teapot) with a quadruple-decker tajine and these gorgeous little zellij-shaped dishes.

"Zellifood"

North African zellij patterns have been a major source of inspiration for Duret - check out his award-winning "Zelli" bookshelf.

"Big Tajine": what Duret calls a new way to surprise diners through while conserving traditional methods of cooking and preparation.

Afar on Alkasir - The Censorship 'Circumventor'

The "experiential travel and international culture" magazine Afar* just did a short profile on Walid Al-Saqaf, a Swedish-Yemeni journalist, techie, and TED Fellow who invented the Alkasir (meaning 'the circumventor') technology that allows people to "map and circumvent cyber-censorship of the types used in China and throughout the Middle East (or anywhere, really).

Not only does the device allow people to break through governmental firewalls on websites like Facebook and Google, but it also "creates the possibility of dynamically tracking and studying filtering patterns around the world" -i.e. track who is blocking which websites and where. -source: Middle East Youth

Part of the Alkasir team's mission is:

"to expose governments, help reformists, and through organized circumvention, enable users to access information, which is a basic human right."

It's an informative and intriguing short article, best to pick up a copy of Afar and check it out.

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*Afar is still getting the user-side of their website up and going, so I recommend the blog, particularly the (re)post on '10 Words Every Traveler Should Know,' including the Indonesian jayus and the Scottish tartle...

First image courtesy Wired magazine.

A White Elephant in Tangiers

It's hard not to love everything about La Maison de l'Elephant Blanc, from top to bottom.

 

Impossible to choose which of the two floors is more inviting. A mosaic-adorned pool on the ground floor melds with the horizon, looking out over the Straits of Gibraltar, while a multi-level rooftop terrace makes you want to linger quietly with the seagulls and take it all in.

Check out the details - the decor is tasteful, spare, but still comfortable.

 Carved plaster walls (love this) and the ubiquitous chandeliers mix with mid-century light fixtures, modern art, and inlaid Syrian furniture, all on a muted palette of neutral whites.

(Visit the site and keep an eye out for the eponymous "white elephants".)

Cote Maison has more lovely images of this guest house, including the one at top.

All images courtesy Cote Maison or L'elephant blanc.