Maryam Touzani's Calle Malaga debuts at Venice and Toronto film festivals
The story follows Maria Angeles (Maura), a 79-year-old Spanish woman living alone in Tangier. Her quiet life is disrupted when her daughter, Clara (played by Marta Etura), travels to Madrid to sell the apartment Maria once called home. Determined not to let go of her past, Maria sets off on a deeply personal journey to reclaim her belongings and, along the way, rediscovers love and longing in the final chapter of her life.
The film explores themes of memory, attachment to place, and the right to love in old age. «With the subtlety and emotional depth that have made her a towering figure in Spanish cinema, Carmen Maura brings Maria to life with moving humanity, balancing fragility and strength in a richly layered performance», a press release notes.
Touzani's selection at both Venice and Toronto underscores her growing international profile. Her previous films, Adam (Cannes 2019 – Un Certain Regard) and The Blue Caftan (Cannes 2022 – Un Certain Regard), received wide acclaim. The latter became the most internationally successful Moroccan film to date, earning a spot on the Oscars shortlist for Best International Feature and collecting over 60 awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.
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