Rabat – With marriage being highly valued in Islam, Muslim parents usually encourage their children to fulfull this religious duty as soon as they approach their mid or late twenties. 

However, daughters are more likely to face more pressure to find a spouse. Marriage-related topics tend to come up often in family gatherings that it seems like nothing in a person’s life matters unless they get married.

Mina El Hannaoui, co-director and co-writer of the soon-to-be released movie “Moroccan Wedding,” said in an interview with Morocco World News that she wanted to shed light on the similar family experiences of young Moroccan women abroad.

“Moroccan Wedding,” which will be officially released on June 2, focuses on the Moroccan community in the Netherlands. It especially explores the life and struggles of unmarried girls, torn between purchasing a professional career and settling for marriage.

El Hannaoui noted that the movie, co-directed by Dutch filmmaker Johan Nijenhuis, narrates the story of Yasmine, a 26-years-old criminal lawyer who is working hard to become successful in her field. 

But Yasmine’s family, especially her mother, wants her to get married like every Moroccan woman.

Under constant family pressure to “settle down,” Yasmine gets encouraged by her friends Tamara and Hannan to embark on a journey to find the right husband.

Having decided to start dating, Yasmine crosses paths with two men, surgeon Ibrahim and garage owner Samir, while continuously struggling to find a balance between her Dutch culture and sensibility, and her Moroccan roots and traditions.

The movie’s cast includes several renowned Dutch and Moroccan actors but also rising stars in the acting scene, such as the Moroccan-Dutch singer Numidia el morabet.

Co-director El Hannaoui said, “There are many successful Moroccan women whom I think deserve the stage and be featured in films.”

When asked about her first acting role, Numidia described it as “challenging.” But, she hastened to add, it also “was quite an honor that I could play a Moroccan woman for the first time.”

Another rising actress in the movie is Fatima Khanfour; she plays the role of Fatma, Yasmine’s mother.

Khanfour told MWN that she found it challenging at first to be surrounded by talented actors who had been many times on set for big productions. 

While admitting to facing a number of difficult moments during production, the actress insisted the whole thing was “a learning experience to keep up with the proficiency of these actors and be capable of giving the same skills and talent required.”

A sneak peak into the movie’s set

In her movie, El Hannaoui focused on portraying the reality of the Moroccan community in the Netherlands — with marriage, divorce, community pressure, jealousy, and gossip being at the center of their everyday life and experiences.

With the overarching aim of giving Dutch people an insight into Morocco and its culture, the movie was shot in both the Netherlands and Chefchaouen, Morocco’s magical blue city.

Dutch-Moroccan actress Soumaya Ahouaoui, who plays the leading role of Yasmine, told MWN that in addition to her “independant and romantic” character, the lead role also encounters unexpected but funny situations. Ahouaoui said she hopes this “will bring more laughter to the audience.”

For her, starring in the soon-to-be released, culturally significant movie came with a certain sense of  responsibility: representing the Moroccan community and culture as accurately as possible.

The actress highlighted that she was particularly pleased to play a role where the Arabic language is used, a statement that actress Khanfour – Yasmine’s mother in the movie – also confirmed.

“The spoken languages of the film were both Moroccan and Dutch and it was funny to see and hear the two languages merging, especially when the director Johan tried to pick up some Moroccan words and reproduce them,” Khanfour added.

Renowned comedian and actor Nabil Aoulad Ayad, who plays the role of Ibrahim, the plastic surgeon, said the shooting of the movie was particularly more fun as it took place during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ayad stressed that the movie engagingly depicts the dilemmas and cultural differences the Moroccan community in the Netherlands deals with daily while trying to tightly hold on to their values and traditions.

Actor Ali Fardi, who plays the role of charismatic and intelligent El Ghazi, highlighted that despite having to be continuously tested for COVID-19 throughout the shooting, “everyone tried their best to keep the fun and good spirit on set.”

He noted, “It was a pleasure working with the director Johan Nijenhuis and a talented cast. A multicultural cast which is an accurate reflection of society.”