Taxi Rouge is a short documentary offering insights into the lives of Hajj Omar, a taxi driver in Casablanca and his passengers. The documentary was filmed in Casablanca throughout the course of a week and aims to leave the viewer with a better sense of urban Casablanca, its streets and its people. The subjects of the story are the passengers of the taxi as well as the driver himself. Taxi Rouge looks at the life of passengers who share their views on subjects as diverse as politics, society, happiness, and fear.
Fantasia Warriors tells the story of Halima Bahraoui and other female Fantasia riders and their struggle and helplessness to participate in Fantasia, an equestrian performance only open to men.
This documentary aims to show how tradition is used as a smokescreen to justify the perpetuation of existing or previous stereotypes.
Historically, Fantasia was only practised by men but increasingly over the past 20 years female riders started participating in the sport, culminating in 2003, when Halima Bahraoui became the first ever female rider to participate in a Fantasia competition. Yet, in 2010, the federation revoked their previous decision and once again banned female riders from participating in any official competitions as well as training sessions.
My objective for the film is to illustrate the impact that an archaical sports system can have on society, in particular when it comes to gender roles, using Fantasia as an example. While Fantasia Warriors confirms some of the stereotypes about women in sports held by society, it also tries to create an understanding for a new generation who are willing to fight for what they want to achieve. As they fight for their right to compete as equals with men, they are a symbol of female emancipation in Morocco.