Fyzal Boulifa (born 1985)[1] is a British-Moroccan filmmaker. Born in Leicester to Moroccan immigrant parents, his early work includes short films like The Curse (2012), a BAFTA-nominated film about a persecuted young Moroccan woman, and Rate Me (2015), which portrays a teenage escort through online reviews. Boulifa's transition to feature films was marked by Lynn + Lucy (2020), a critically acclaimed exploration of working-class life in Essex. His second feature, The Damned Don't Cry (2022), set in Morocco, follows a mother and son navigating poverty and exploitation. His work is known for featuring untrained actors.
Boulifa was born and raised in Leicester. His parents had immigrated to the United Kingdom from Morocco, working as nursing assistants and later also running an ice cream van.[2] Boulifa watched videos brought home by his brother and developed a passion for horror movies as a child. This interest evolved into a fascination with underground films and "weird" Asian cinema, eventually leading to a broader appreciation for world cinema.[3]
At 17, Boulifa dropped out of school and left home for London, where he briefly studied film at the London College of Communication. However, he found the experience unsatisfying, stating, "it didn’t seem serious. I just wasn’t very happy in institutions generally." This led him to pursue a DIY approach, making short films "on a trial and error basis," during a time when there was development funding targeted at filmmakers from regional and ethnic minority backgrounds. He has stated that only his last two short films were worth watching, acknowledging the element of recklessness in his early work, stating, "There was this element of, ‘this is the only thing that I can do. So it has to work."[2] In an interview with the British Council, Boulifa recalls that while skipping college once, he stumbled upon Carl Theodor Dreyer's Day of Wrath at Leicester's only arthouse cinema, an experience that deeply impacted him and solidified his reverence for cinema as a powerful art form. He also noted that he initially aspired to be a film critic, influenced by reading Robert Bresson's Notes on the Cinematographer, although he eventually embraced filmmaking.[3]
Careeredit
Boulifa relocated to Paris in his late twenties, partly motivated by the historical colonial ties between France and Morocco, which facilitated obtaining financing for filming in Morocco. His film career began with The Curse, a 2012 short film shot in Morocco, which tells the story of a young Moroccan woman persecuted by children after being seen with a man outside a desert settlement. The film was nominated for a BAFTA. His 2015 short, Rate Me, offers a portrait of a teenage escort through 12 online user reviews.[2] Both short films won the Illy Prize for Best Short Film at the CannesDirectors’ Fortnight section.[4]
Boulifa's transition to feature films was marked by Lynn + Lucy in 2020, a social-realist narrative about two working-class women from Essex, which initially surprised audiences given Boulifa's background as a gay British Moroccan who grew up in Leicester and lived in Paris at the time. The film received critical acclaim, challenging perceptions of identity and environment. In 2023, he released his second feature, The Damned Don't Cry. Set in Morocco, the film follows a mother and son living in poverty, navigating lives of exploitation and shame.[2]
Boulifa has gained recognition for his skill in directing untrained actors, with Roxanne Scrimshaw receiving praise for her debut in Lynn + Lucy. He continued this trend with Aicha Tebbae and Abdellah El Hajjouji, previously unknown Moroccan actors, delivering acclaimed performances as mother and son in The Damned Don't Cry.[2]
^Mottram, James (2020-07-08). "'I had a lot of false starts': director Fyzal Boulifa on finally making 'Lynn + Lucy' as his debut feature". The National. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
^ abcdefArmitstead, Claire (2023-07-02). "Film-maker Fyzal Boulifa: 'I need to engage with my country in this strange time of identity crisis'". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
^ ab"British Council Film: Fyzal Boulifa". British Council. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
^"Le film «The damned don't cry», du Marocain Fyzal Boulifa, fait sa grande première à la Mostra de Venise". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 2024-04-06.
fyzal, boulifa, born, 1985, british, moroccan, filmmaker, born, leicester, moroccan, immigrant, parents, early, work, includes, short, films, like, curse, 2012, bafta, nominated, film, about, persecuted, young, moroccan, woman, rate, 2015, which, portrays, tee. Fyzal Boulifa born 1985 1 is a British Moroccan filmmaker Born in Leicester to Moroccan immigrant parents his early work includes short films like The Curse 2012 a BAFTA nominated film about a persecuted young Moroccan woman and Rate Me 2015 which portrays a teenage escort through online reviews Boulifa s transition to feature films was marked by Lynn Lucy 2020 a critically acclaimed exploration of working class life in Essex His second feature The Damned Don t Cry 2022 set in Morocco follows a mother and son navigating poverty and exploitation His work is known for featuring untrained actors Fyzal BoulifaBorn1985Leicester United KingdomNotable workLynn Lucy The Damned Don t Cry Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Filmography 3 1 Short films 3 2 Feature films 4 Personal life 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and education editBoulifa was born and raised in Leicester His parents had immigrated to the United Kingdom from Morocco working as nursing assistants and later also running an ice cream van 2 Boulifa watched videos brought home by his brother and developed a passion for horror movies as a child This interest evolved into a fascination with underground films and weird Asian cinema eventually leading to a broader appreciation for world cinema 3 At 17 Boulifa dropped out of school and left home for London where he briefly studied film at the London College of Communication However he found the experience unsatisfying stating it didn t seem serious I just wasn t very happy in institutions generally This led him to pursue a DIY approach making short films on a trial and error basis during a time when there was development funding targeted at filmmakers from regional and ethnic minority backgrounds He has stated that only his last two short films were worth watching acknowledging the element of recklessness in his early work stating There was this element of this is the only thing that I can do So it has to work 2 In an interview with the British Council Boulifa recalls that while skipping college once he stumbled upon Carl Theodor Dreyer s Day of Wrath at Leicester s only arthouse cinema an experience that deeply impacted him and solidified his reverence for cinema as a powerful art form He also noted that he initially aspired to be a film critic influenced by reading Robert Bresson s Notes on the Cinematographer although he eventually embraced filmmaking 3 Career editBoulifa relocated to Paris in his late twenties partly motivated by the historical colonial ties between France and Morocco which facilitated obtaining financing for filming in Morocco His film career began with The Curse a 2012 short film shot in Morocco which tells the story of a young Moroccan woman persecuted by children after being seen with a man outside a desert settlement The film was nominated for a BAFTA His 2015 short Rate Me offers a portrait of a teenage escort through 12 online user reviews 2 Both short films won the Illy Prize for Best Short Film at the Cannes Directors Fortnight section 4 Boulifa s transition to feature films was marked by Lynn Lucy in 2020 a social realist narrative about two working class women from Essex which initially surprised audiences given Boulifa s background as a gay British Moroccan who grew up in Leicester and lived in Paris at the time The film received critical acclaim challenging perceptions of identity and environment In 2023 he released his second feature The Damned Don t Cry Set in Morocco the film follows a mother and son living in poverty navigating lives of exploitation and shame 2 Boulifa has gained recognition for his skill in directing untrained actors with Roxanne Scrimshaw receiving praise for her debut in Lynn Lucy He continued this trend with Aicha Tebbae and Abdellah El Hajjouji previously unknown Moroccan actors delivering acclaimed performances as mother and son in The Damned Don t Cry 2 Filmography editShort films edit Afternoon 2007 Whore 2009 Burn my Body 2010 The Curse 2012 5 Rate Me 2015 Feature films edit Lynn Lucy 2019 The Damned Don t Cry 2022 Personal life editBoulifa is gay As of July 2023 he lives in South London 2 References edit Mottram James 2020 07 08 I had a lot of false starts director Fyzal Boulifa on finally making Lynn Lucy as his debut feature The National Retrieved 2024 04 06 a b c d e f Armitstead Claire 2023 07 02 Film maker Fyzal Boulifa I need to engage with my country in this strange time of identity crisis The Guardian ISSN 0029 7712 Retrieved 2024 04 06 a b British Council Film Fyzal Boulifa British Council Retrieved 2024 04 06 Rosser Michael Holland Film Meeting reveals Co Pro Platform line up Screen Retrieved 2024 04 06 Le film The damned don t cry du Marocain Fyzal Boulifa fait sa grande premiere a la Mostra de Venise Le 360 Francais in French Retrieved 2024 04 06 External links editFyzal Boulifa at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fyzal Boulifa amp oldid 1221476160, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
