Morocco’s Maryam Touzani Tackles Taboo Issues in the Arab World in ‘Blue Caftan’
Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentMoroccan director Maryam Touzani, whose is sophomore feature, “The Blue Caftan,” unspools in Un Certain Regard, has never been afraid to tackle topics that shatter her country’s social conventions.She’s made a doc about Morocco’s female prostitutes that sparked plenty of attention and a short about the exploitation of children as domestic workers. Her first feature, “Adam,” looked at the plight of single mothers (it also screened in Un Certain Regard).In “Blue Caftan” Touzani turns her gaze on the concealed homosexuality of a married man in Morocco where, in accordance with Islamic laws and customs, same-sex sexual activity is illegal and can be punished with imprisonment.