Moroccan Director Fights Censorship for Art

Director Meryem Benm'barek faces a difficult situation with her new film, "Behind the Palm Trees," premiering at the Marrakech Film Festival. She is proud to debut her work in Morocco, feeling it will be deeply understood there. However, the film's release versions for the Arab world have been altered, compromising her artistic intent.

Benm'barek agreed to minor edits for Moroccan distribution, focusing on trimming wide shots and softening explicit elements. Yet, she describes the version heavily cut for the Saudi market as a "knife to the heart," stating it drastically deviates from her original vision and that she does not endorse it. She notes this market-driven compromise limits her creative control.

The film itself is an intimate thriller about a young contractor torn between two women, highlighting themes of social mobility and desire. Benm'barek emphasizes the necessity of creative freedom, particularly in depicting intimacy and contrasting characters' modesty versus liberation, which she believes are crucial to the story's narrative and visual language.