Zin Li Fik MUCH LOVED Loubna abidar Film

Rabat – French-Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch has rallied to the defense of his newest film “Much Loved (Zine Li Fik)” which has suffered divided reviews.

The film, which is yet to be released in cinemas, is already the subject of some controversy in Morocco after several clips of the film were posted to YouTube. Over the last few days, some have criticized the film – which tells the story of four prostitutes in Marrakech – mainly for its crudeness and excessive use of vulgar language.

Now, director Nabil Ayouch is responding to his critics. Speaking to news Ayouch has urged Moroccans to refrain from judging his film based on clips made available on social media platforms. “I have many reasons that led me into talking about prostitution. Why do we choose to hide and state that it does not exist in Morocco? My role as a director is to ask questions and to contribute to the creation of a debate that could result in solutions to the phenomenon.”

“I did not want to lie to people and give them something that does not resemble to their reality,” Ayouch said. “My responsibility as a director is to cinematically show the negative and positive phenomena that exist in my society. I do not aim to link this phenomenon to Morocco, is does exist everywhere, the film carries a message beyond the limits of the country.”

Ayouch added: “There are many ways to love your country, it is not necessary to describe your country as the most beautiful country in order to express this love, those who criticize some phenomena [in the country] can love it better than those who complement it all the time. A film about prostitution should not offend the country, if so, the same would have happened with crime and gang movies in America.”

When asked if he thought about the film in terms of economic success rather than artistic accomplishment, Ayouch said: “The Moroccan people know very well the goals for which they go to the cinema; therefore, they will not go to the cinema only once they heard the film contains controversial scenes.”