Fez – Moroccan actor Ayoub Gretaa has been selected by France’s César Academy for its 2025 “Découvertes / Révélations” list, placing him among 32 rising talents of French cinema on the strength of his performance in “La Mer au loin” (“Across the Sea”).

The selection was made by a committee of 14 casting directors in France, a choice that confirms the growing attention Gretaa is attracting in European film circles. 

Each year, the “Revelations” list serves as a showcase for young actors who are considered serious contenders for the César Awards for Most Promising Actor and Most Promising Actress.

Directed by Moroccan filmmaker Saïd Hamich, “La Mer au loin” has enjoyed a strong festival and critical trajectory. The film competed in the official selection of the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival, before going on to feature prominently at the 25th National Film Festival in Tangier, where it won the Grand Prize, the Best Director Award, and prizes for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. These accolades helped bring Gretaa’s first major big-screen role into the spotlight.

Exposure to Moroccan talents

Gretaa will be among the participants in the César “Revelations” evening scheduled for January, where each of the 32 selected actors will be introduced to industry professionals and the media. A short film featuring all the “Revelations,” directed this year by French filmmaker Bertrand Bonello, will also be presented. 

On 28 January, the Academy is expected to narrow the field to five nominees for Most Promising Actor and five for Most Promising Actress, ahead of the César Awards ceremony in February.

“La Mer au loin” represents a key milestone in Gretaa’s career as his debut on the big screen. Set in Marseille in the 1990s, the film follows a Moroccan migrant and his Algerian friends as they navigate a harsh and complex daily reality. 

Through their experiences, the story explores irregular migration, questions of belonging, and the fragile search for self in an unfamiliar environment.

The film’s artistic approach is reinforced by the strong presence of Raï music, particularly songs by the late Cheb Hasni. His voice becomes a temporal and emotional marker, evoking the spirit of the 1990s and anchoring the characters’ inner lives in a specific cultural moment. 

A pivotal scene built around the news of Hasni’s assassination has been widely noted by critics as a powerful intersection of artistic sensitivity and social significance.

By joining the César “Revelations” list, Ayoub Gretaa emerges as one of the most promising new faces linked to contemporary Moroccan cinema. 

His recognition in France underscores the ability of Moroccan stories and talents to resonate beyond national borders and to contribute meaningfully to current European film narratives.