Kamal Hachkar
Kamal Hachkar كمال هشكار | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Kamal Hachkar 25 February 1977 |
| Nationality | Moroccan French |
| Alma mater | Sorbonne University |
| Occupation(s) | Director, academic |
| Years active | 1958–present |
Kamal Hachkar (Arabic: كمال هشكار; born 25 February 1977), is a Franco-Moroccan filmmaker, and academic.[1] Kamal is best known as the director of the critically acclaim controversial documentary Tinghir-Jerusalem: The Echoes of the mellah.[2]
Personal life[edit]
He was born on 25 February 1977 in Tinghir, Morocco to a Berber family.[2] At the age of just six months, he left Morocco with his mother for France, where his father worked as a worker since 1968. However, he had regular visits to Tinghir during summer vacation. Kamal obtained a master's degree in medieval history of the Muslim worlds at the Sorbonne University. In 2005, he became a teacher after passing certificate of aptitude for teaching secondary education.[1][3]
Career[edit]
In 2013, Kamal made his maiden documentary venture, Tinghir-Jerusalem: Les Échos du mellah.[1] The film sets in time of the French protectorate in Morocco deals with the life and co–habitation of Berber Muslim and Jewish families in Tinghir during the desperate times. Even though, it was a controversial topic in Morocco, which was criticized by Islamists.[4] Later the Justice and Development Party also joined the criticism citing that it as an invitation to normalize relations between Israel. However, the film received critical acclaim and several awards at the Moroccan National Film Festival.[2]
In 2013, the film won Best Documentary Award at Paris International Fantastic Film Festival and then Grand Prix Eden for documentary at Lights of Africa Festival. At the Ashkelon Jewish Eye Festival, the film won Best Documentary Award, whereas it received Grand Prize for Best Documentary and Local and public press award at Nador International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory (FICMEC). In 2015, the film won Pomegranate Awards for Sephardi Excellence in the Arts at New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival.[1]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tinghir-Jerusalem: The Echoes of the mellah | Director, writer | documentary | [5] |
| 2019 | In Your Eyes, I See My Country | Director, writer | documentary |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Kamal Hachkar: Director". festivalmarrakech. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Tinghir-Jerusalem: Kamal Hachkar Talks About His Film". Inside Arabia. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Moroccan director shares country's Jewish history". cjnews. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Kamal Hachkar: "Muslim-Jewish coexistence should be taught in Moroccan schools"". Morocco World News. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "Tinghir-Jerusalem: A film by Kamal Hachkar". icarusfilms. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
