Interview: Meryem Benm’Barek – Sofia | 2018 Cannes Film Festival

By way of the young, unmarried Moroccan titular protagonist, Meryem Benm’Barek cuts her teeth with a piece that looks at the unwanted pregnancy under the guise of society’s hypocritical treatment of women’s body image, and class hypocrisy in the microcosm that is Casablanca. The micro, blunt and eye-catching first effort, Benm’barek left Cannes in high spirits as Sofia the Special Jury prize Best Screenplay in the Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section. I had the chance to sit with Benm’Barek to ask about what was the inspiration for the project, her working method with her actor set, and the role of Casablanca as a backdrop and how it aided in creating her cinematic language. Her is my interview in English and in French.