Ahmed El Maanouni
Ahmed El Maanouni is a Moroccan film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his influential work in Moroccan and North African cinema. Born in Casablanca in 1944, he studied film at the prestigious IDHEC in Paris before returning to Morocco to contribute to the country’s emerging film industry.El Maanouni is best known for his acclaimed documentary Trances, which explores the Moroccan music group Nass El Ghiwane and is considered a landmark in world documentary filmmaking. He also directed fiction features such as Alyam Alyam, which won international awards and helped put Moroccan cinema on the global map. His work often blends documentary realism with cultural and musical expression, focusing on identity, tradition, and social change.