A feature film chronicling the life of photographer Leila Alaoui is set for theatrical release.
Titled “Leila and the Night,” the film by Brazilian director Fellipe Barbosa is adapted from Aziz Alaoui’s novel “Off to Ouaga.”
“After the novel was published, this close friend of Leila came to see us, deeply moved, to ask for permission to adapt it for the cinema. My husband immediately told him that if anyone was meant to bring this story to the screen, it was him,” Christine Alaoui told Le360 on the sidelines of the Photo Tanger Festival.
Leila Alaoui died at the age of 33 in the 2016 Ouagadougou terrorist attacks.
Her mother explained that Barbosa and Leila first met while studying together in the United States.
“From their very first year, they sat in the same classrooms, united by a shared passion for sociology, ethnology, and the films of Jean Rouch, whom they both admired. It was only natural that this project should come back to him. It remains deeply faithful to their shared story,” said Christine Alaoui, who also contributed to the screenplay.
The cast features Roschdy Zem as Leila’s father, Aziz; Nina Zem, Roschdy Zem’s daughter, as Leila; Marina Foïs as Christine; and Françoise Lebrun as Leila’s grandmother.
Leila’s grandmother, who was French and Christian, converted to Islam at her own insistence so that she could be buried in Al Imam Souhaili Cemetery alongside her granddaughter. That episode is also portrayed in the film.
“It’s one of the film’s most moving moments. My mother is portrayed by Françoise Lebrun, a towering figure of French cinema whose career includes several landmark films. Her performance brings extraordinary depth and emotion to the scene,” Christine Alaoui said.
