Maryam Touzani

Born in Tangier, Morocco, in 1980, Maryam Touzani spends her childhood in her native city before pursuing a university degree in journalism in London. Passionate about writing, she moves back to her country after her studies and works as a journalist, specializing in North African cinema. Soon, she feels the urge to express herself though her own films.
In 2008, she writes and directs a documentary for the first national women’s day in Morocco, an important date for the country, followed by a number of other documentaries. When they slept (2012), her first short fiction, travels around the world through prestigious festivals, winning a total of seventeen awards. In 2015, her second short fiction, 'Aya goes to the beach' continues on the same path, winning fifteen awards worldwide. Through film director Nabil Ayouch’s greatly acclaimed 'Much Loved' (2015), which opens at the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, she takes her experience further, working on the development of the script and participating on the film set at various levels, closely working with the director and actresses. Soon after, she co-writes with Nabil Ayouch his latest feature, 'Razzia', which premieres at The Toronto International Film Festival on Platform and
represents Morocco at the Academy Awards. In 'Razzia', in which she also plays the part of Salima, one of the main characters, she finds herself on the other side of the camera for the first time.