Ali Zaoua review

Ali (Abdelhak Zhayra), Kwita (Mounïm Kbab), Omar (Mustapha Hansali) and Boubker (Hicham Moussoune) are Moroccan street kids. Since they left Dib (Saïd Taghmaoui) and his gang they’ve been living on the port, because Ali wants to become a sailor and travel the world. But during a confrontation with Dib’s gang, Ali is killed and the remaining three friends decide to give him a burial fit for a young prince, embarking on a series of adventures to help them realise their friend’s dream.

Featuring real street kids and constructed from a stylised fusion of raw reality, fantasy and animation, this second feature from Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch has already nabbed numerous awards at international film festivals. Occasionally unpredictable, often moving and entirely gripping, this unique urban fairytale boasts extraordinary performances from its young leads, a beautifully composed script and exceptional direction.