Atlas Close-Ups
The Tanjawi
Synopsis
Casablanca. Hassan, a 61-year-old former heroin addict, is released from prison. He tries to rebuild his life and reconcile with his family. His only son, Mansour, is preparing his engagement and wants to give his father a second chance. Hassan clings to a small job and sticks to his treatment, but his past catches up: dealers demand repayment or they will hurt his son. Cornered and desperate, Hassan considers stealing the dowry. Before giving in, he makes one last dangerous deal: delivering drugs. The job explodes in his face. Fleeing, he is saved by a young addict and hides in a squat, facing and resisting temptation. At home, his wife confronts him and asks him to hand over the dowry himself, like a father. At his son’s celebration, Hassan asks for forgiveness. Outside, while he is smoking a cigarette, the dealers catch him, beat him, and leave him bleeding in the street.
Ciné-Scène International (Morocco)
Najib Walid Derkaoui
Director’s statement
The Tanjawi follows Hassan’s perspective, shot in close-up to reveal the scars of years of addiction and wandering. A handheld camera moves with him through Casablanca, reflecting his inner conflicts. The direction conveys a father’s quest for redemption, caught between hope and his dark past. The visual rhythm shifts with emotion and circumstance. Using a documentary-like approach, real locations, and natural light preserves authenticity. Hassan is contrasting—radiant with his family, shadowed by his past. Casablanca becomes a living character: gentle yet violent, its autumnal light revealing its true soul. Sound captures the city’s restless energy, with Hassan often overwhelmed in its relentless pulse. Editing will balance rawness and poetry, mirroring the tension between survival and disappearance.
Biographies
Born in Brussels, Zahoua Raji developed a passion for photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. She co-directed the multi-award-winning Chikha (2024), which was presented at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She is currently preparing her first exhibition and developing her first feature-length film.
Born in Casablanca, Ayoub Layoussifi is an author, actor, and director. Trained at the Actors Studio, he directed Dis-moi Mohammed (2012) and Tikitat-A-Soulima (2018), which was named Best African Short Film at the AMAA Awards and was selected for Nuits en Or. In 2024, he directed Mono and co-directed Chikha.
Najib Walid Derkaoui was born in Casablanca in 1984. Now a producer, he was trained from a young age alongside his father, the cinematographer and director Abdelkrim Derkaoui. After earning a bachelor's degree in economics and management, he began his career as a production manager and later became a production director. He has produced Les Griffes du passé (2015), Le Mouvement perpétuel, Doah, and Le Chemin des rochers (2021), as well as numerous television films and series for SNRT and 2M, and collaborated on international productions such as Exils (2004) and Zarzis (2021).
November 2026 or April 2027 (Casablanca - Morocco)
November 2027
