The Blue Caftan (Le bleu du caftan)

The Blue Caftan (Le bleu du caftan)
Directed by Maryam Touzani

Saturday, March 25, 6 pm
Sunday, March 26, 3 pm

“The film is best experienced by simply wallowing in the lushness of its fabrics, sartorial and symbolic alike, refusing the temptation to unspool its poetic parallels.”—Diego Semere, Slant Magazine

Halim and Mina run a traditional caftan store in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. They are dedicated to retaining the high standards and quality of hand-stitching, intricate embroidery, and painstaking ornamentation requiring hundreds of hours for each garment.  

Their artistry runs against the demands of customers who don’t value their work and the competition from other shops that can make the work faster by machines. To keep up with the deadlines of customers, they hire Youssef as an apprentice. Slowly Mina realizes how much her husband is moved by the presence of the young man. 

Morocco’s official entry for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards. 2022, Morocco, DCP, in Arabic with English subtitles, 122 minutes. Recommended for 16+