Description

This feature-length documentary follows the creation of Morocco’s first-ever Hip Hop festival, called ‘I Love Hip Hop in Morocco’, from its inception all the way to the stage.
The film begins with a group of Moroccan Hip Hop artists who share a single dream: to rock a professional concert in each of their hometowns. But where are they going to find the money, the resources and the support in a country that doesn’t approve of Hip Hop? Not to be deterred, they look high and low for sponsors and ultimately partner with the American Embassy and Coca-Cola to realize the dream of the ‘I Love Hip Hop in Morocco’ festival.

The overarching narrative of the film is supplemented by glimpses into the lives of these characters, through interviews at home, in the studio and on the street. We meet DJ Key, a self-taught turntable prodigy who is torn between his love for Hip Hop and his devotion to Islam. We meet H-Kayne, a pioneer rap group on the verge of stardom who find themselves walking the line between honesty and censorship. We meet Fatima, a high school girl who’s trying to make it as a female rapper in an Arab man's world. And we meet Brown Fingaz, a kid from the hoods of Marrakesh who found his true identity in American Hip Hop culture and uses its vernacular to express himself in a way that his native tongue won't allow.

Although the organizers face roadblocks along the way – diplomatic bureaucracy, disputes over money, unscrupulous stage-builders, and general chaos of business in the Developing World – they pull it off and the festival plays to massive crowds of young Moroccans in three cities, fulfilling the dream of the artists and catapulting Moroccan Hip Hop from the underground into the spotlight.

This film reflects the thoughts and dreams of the true future of the Arab world: its youth. These are not the images portrayed by the media; they are the real people. And their views on America, Islam, and world politics in general, all told
through song, might surprise more than a few people around the globe.

Cast

DJ Key, H-Kayne, MC Bigg, Brownfingaz, Mot de Passe, FatiShow, Fnaïre

Festivals

Middle East (Abu Dhabi), Nouveau Cinema (Montreal), Arab Film Fest, CPH:DOX (Copenhagen), IDFA (Amsterdam), Big Sky, South by Southwest, Strasbourg Film Festival (France)

Production Credits & Notes

Directors: Joshua Asen and Jennifer Needleman
Producers: Joshua Asen and Jennifer Needleman
Editor: Jennifer Needleman
Sound Editor: Paul Bercovitch