
EL BATALETT, WOMEN OF THE MEDINA
By Dalila Ennardre

Synopsis
The film is set deep in old Medina, a historic quarter of Casablanca. It is the group portrait of women who have lived here since childhood. Together they provide a complex image of the working-class Moroccan woman, a modern and urban woman, which has nothing to do with the oriental clichés that picture her as submissive and lascivious. Amid laughter and tears, the director shared their daily lives for several months, at the hammam, in their homes and in the streets of the old city ….
Though the viewpoints of these Batalett (heroines) who daily improvise a small world of their own, we relive the historic highlights of Moroccan society today – the death of King Hassan II in August 1999, the women's march for their rights in March 2000 as well as the realities of immigration and the hardships of survival ….
A coproduction L'Yeux Ouverts, Les films de la Passerelle, RTBF, MCF
Technical sheet
Year: 2001
Duration: 60'
Language: French
Direction: Dalida Ennardre
Cinematography: Dalida Ennardre
Editing: Barbara Puyo
Producer:
Samir Abdallah - L'Yeux Ouverts
Shristine Pireaux - Les Films de la Passerelle
Stills
Awards (3)
★ Award for best documentary - Média Nord Sud
★ Documentary Award - Milan African Cinema Festival
★ Special Mention from the “Regards Neufs” jury – Visions du Réel