A Door to the Sky
Directed byFarida Benlyazid
StarringChaabia Laadraoui

Eva Saint-Paul

Zakia Tahri
Release date
1989
Running time
107 minutes
CountryMorocco
LanguagesFrench, Moroccan Arabic

A Door to the Sky (Arabic: باب السماء مفتوح, romanized: Bab al-Samah Maftuh, French: Une porte sur le ciel) is a 1989 Moroccan film directed by Farida Benlyazid.[1][2][3][4] It is Benlyazid's first feature film.[5]

Plot

Nadia is a young Moroccan woman living in France. Upon the illness and subsequent death of her father, she returns to her native Fez and meets a female Sufi mystic, Kirana. Nadia readopts her native culture and religion, Islam, leaving her French boyfriend, Jean-Philippe. Nadia turns her family's traditional home into a zawiyya, functioning as a shelter for abused and homeless women. Nadia experiences dreams and visions of Ba Sissi, her family's deceased African servant who was known for his mysticism and piety.

Her efforts are opposed by her sister, Leila, and brother, Driss. Under Islamic law, Driss has received double the inheritance she has, entitling him to the home. Nadia has a mystical vision in a trance where she sees the buried jewels of her deceased mother, enabling her to pay off the debt to her brother.

Nadia, now known for her spiritual gifts, is sent to heal an ailing young man, Abdelkrim, and falls in love with him. She permanently leaves the shelter and marries him.

Themes

The film explores themes of feminism, colonialism, identity, and the conflict between modernity and tradition.[6]

Cast

  • Chaabia Laadraoui as Kirana
  • Zakia Tahri as Nadia
  • Eva Saint-Paul as Leila

References

  1. ↑ Khannous, Touria (2021-08-26). Black–Arab Encounters in Literature and Film. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-87124-5.
  2. ↑ Ph.D, Touria Khannous (2013-10-17). African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-7042-7.
  3. ↑ Shohat, Ella (2006-07-17). Taboo Memories, Diasporic Voices. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-8796-1.
  4. ↑ Moghissi, Haideh (September 2004). Women and Islam: Social conditions, obstacles and prospects. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-32420-5.
  5. ↑ Hillauer, Rebecca (2005). Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers. American Univ in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-424-943-3.
  6. ↑ Donmez-Colin, Gonul; Dönmez-Colin, Gönül (2007). The Cinema of North Africa and the Middle East. Wallflower Press. ISBN 978-1-905674-10-7.
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