New US Trailer for ‘Casablanca Beats’ – A Moroccan Hip Hop Musical

New US Trailer for ‘Casablanca Beats’ – A Moroccan Hip Hop Musical

by Alex Billington
August 11, 2022
Source: Twitter

“Hip-hop IS an art form, ma’am.” Kino Lorber has revealed an official US trailer for an indie film from France & Morocco titled Casablanca Beats, which first premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival last year. This received pretty much nothing but negative reviews from everyone who dared to see through it. The film is a Moroccan hip hop musical that rips off School of Rock and sets it in the city of Casablanca instead. Anas, a former rapper, is employed in a cultural centre. Encouraged by their new teacher, the students will try to free themselves from the weight of traditions to live their passion and express themselves through hip hop culture. Starring rapper Anas Basbousi, plus an ensemble of kids: Ismail Adouab, Zineb Boujemaa, Meryem Nekkach, Nouhaila Arif, Abdelilah Basbousi, Mehdi Razzouk, Amina Kannan, Samah Baricou. I saw this in Cannes and was hoping it would be good fun, but it’s such a mess of a film with bad performances throughout. Even if the raps are pretty good, that’s pretty much all this little film has to offer.

Here’s the official trailers (+ posters) for Nabil Ayouch’s Casablanca Beats, direct from Twitter:

The trailer for hip hop musical Casablanca Beats, from director Nabil Ayouch, based on his own experiences opening a youth cultural center. Opening September 16 at @IFCCenter from @KinoLorber pic.twitter.com/xZWPm7DJo1

— Letterboxd (@letterboxd) August 11, 2022

Former rapper Anas (played by a real rapper named Anas Basbousi aka “Bawss”) takes a job at a cultural centre in a working-class neighbourhood in Casablanca. Encouraged by their new teacher, his students will try to free themselves from the weight of certain restrictive traditions in order to live their passions and express themselves through hip-hop… Casablanca Beats, originally known as Haut et Fort (Loud and Proud) in French, is directed by French-Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch, director of the films Mektoub, Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets, Whatever Lola Wants, Horses of God, Much Loved, and Razzia previously. The screenplay is also written by Nabil Ayouch, in collaboration with Maryam Touzani. This first premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival last year. It already opened in both France & Morocco late in 2021. Kino Lorber will release Casablanca Beats in select US theaters (NY only) starting on September 16th, 2022.

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