Sitting in a boutique hotel in Valletta, Moroccan filmmaker Seloua El Gouni is feeling inspired. She has just screened her debut feature The Wound at the Mediterrane Film Festival, now in its third year.
El Gouni has been to Malta twice before and is impressed by the way its film commission welcomes overseas productions to the island. “Given the importance that Malta gives to the film industry, we would like to set something here,” she says.
Her optimism feels infectious. Just days earlier, The Wound had its Moroccan premiere at the Casablanca Arab Film Festival, before what she hopes will be a release in cinemas in 2026. The story follows Leila (Oumaima Barid), a young woman living in Casablanca whose relationship with a non-Muslim man leads to friction with her father. The reaction from El Gouni's home crowd “was surprisingly encouraging and very positive”.
The surprise factor came at the after-screening Q&A. “Men interacted with us more than women. We had notes from them, we had questions from them,” she says.
In Malta and in Lebanon, when the film had its Mena premiere at the Beirut International Women’s Film Festival, it was the opposite: the biggest reactions came from female audience members. Either way, The Wound is a film that touches a nerve.
After directing two shorts and producing the 2023 documentary Harraga – Those Who Burn Their Lives, El Gouni realised it was time to move into features. She set about working on The Wound, scripted by producer Taha Benghalem and brothers Brian and Brice Bexter.
Brice also stars in the film, alongside Moroccan-Canadian actress Soraya Azzabi and Paris-born Moroccan actor Sami Fekkak.
“We wanted to make something meaningful,” she says, noting that public discourse in Morocco at the time centred on “personal freedoms in terms of relationships, what’s accepted and what’s not accepted”.
The screenplay is an amalgam of true stories of women like Leila, and El Gouni says: “It’s basically an alternate reality with very realistic events.” What happens to Leila is shocking, but such events are not confined to Morocco, or the Arab world. “All over the world, we’ve heard stories,” she adds, pointing out that during the writing process women were losing agency over their own bodies, as abortion rights were being removed across the US.
What The Wound does well is show modern Casablanca, where many young women (like Leila’s free-spirited best friend Sophia) live an existence with few restrictions. “It depends on your lifestyle, depends on who you work with, your entourage and upbringing,” says El Gouni.
“You can be on good terms with your parents and live alone as a woman in Morocco. I myself left home when I was 17, like in any normal European culture.” Equally, your upbringing may still be dangerously ultra-conservative.
The Wound is her first feature, but El Gouni has a wealth of filmmaking experience. She has worked on some major English and American films, as a production co-ordinator and production supervisor, such as Men in Black: International, and The Forgiven with Ralph Fiennes. She also worked as assistant to the Russo brothers, the filmmakers behind Avengers: Endgame, Infinity War and the upcoming Doomsday, when they made Cherry with Tom Holland.
The experience of collaborating on big-budget films was highly useful when it came to making The Wound. “You read the script fully, keeping your eyes on the budget,” she says. “That helped us into creating something very effective, very efficient, in terms of budget, production value, and then just making sure it happens with the best quality possible.”
That included securing the services of Emmy-winning US cinematographer Travis Tips, who made the 2012 awards magnet Beasts of the Southern Wild. Tips’ participation indicates the increasingly healthy state of Moroccan cinema.
“Especially for female directors,” El Gouni notes. “We do have more female directors than ever.” Filmmakers such as Maryam Touzani (The Blue Caftan), Meryem Benm’Barek-Aloisi (Sofia) and Asmae El Moudir (The Mother of All Lies) show just how vibrant the scene is right now.
Still, very few can claim they have a movie by Terrence Malick on their CV. El Gouni was production co-ordinator on The Last Planet, Malick’s long-gestating retelling of the life of Jesus. “It still hasn’t come out!” she exclaims. The famously press-shy Malick, director of revered classics such as Badlands and Days of Heaven, has been in the edit with the film since it was shot in 2019. With the Hungarian-born Geza Rohrig (Son of Saul) featuring as Jesus and Mark Rylance playing Satan, it is one of the most anticipated films.
“It will be wonderful,” El Gouni promises. “Malick is very calm, and all the sets are calm. You don’t have that stress of being on a set. It’s an experience that I don’t think I’ve had before, but it was really special.
“I hope the film will come out this year.”
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Zayed Sustainability Prize
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
More on animal trafficking
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdited%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Idries%20Trevathan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hirmer%20Publishers%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Dunki
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rajkumar%20Hirani%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Taapsee%20Pannu%2C%20Vikram%20Kochhar%20and%20Anil%20Grover%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47
2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time
3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo
5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates
7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03
9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep
10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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