Bouchra
Meriem Bennani & Orian Barki / Italy, Morocco & United States / 2025 / 82 min
An animated autofiction from Morocco, in which a queer filmmaker calls home from NYC to her mother in Casablanca to talk things out. Truly original, and truly cool.
Bouchra is a 35-year-old Moroccan expat and filmmaker in New York. Her queerness has affected her relationship with her mother, and now she wants to talk things out. The phone line between New York City and Casablanca is red hot, as a lot that has been left unsaid until now. The mental distance between club nights, dates, and queer life in Brooklyn and a quiet home in Morocco is enormous.
At the same time, Bouchra is experiencing writer’s block. She is writing an autobiographical script about a complex mother-daughter relationship. But through long and honest conversations, mother and daughter begin to grow closer.
And yes, Bouchra is a coyote! And so is her mother. In fact, all the characters in ‘Bouchra’ are animated to the voices of her real friends and family in a playful docufiction. A humorous and touching story about migration, queerness, and everything we say – and don’t say – to those we love.
