Mimosas

press release:

Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar | 2016 | DCP | 96 min. | Galician & Arabic with English subtitles

Director: Oliver Laxe

Cast: Ahmed Hammoud, Shakib Ben Omar, Said Aagli

In the Moroccan desert, a ragtag caravan of misfits transport a dying sheik across a dangerous mountain range.  What begins as a spiritual journey takes on the enveloping, ineffable aura of mythos.  Featuring hypnotic 16mm cinematography, stunning landscapes, and an impeccable nonprofessional cast, Laxe’s mesmerizing “Eastern western” won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival’s Semaine de la Critique.

Premiere Showcase is the Cinematheque’s effort to bring the boldest and most exciting new cinema back to the big screen. Crafted with the same curat­orial acuity we bring to our repertory series, Premiere Showcase presents exciting new work by contem­porary directors that would otherwise have no theatrical venue in the area. Our selections for this calendar, in addition to those new films playing our annual LACIS series, are Oliver Laxe’s “Eastern Western” Mimosas, filmed on breathtaking Moroccan locations; and a new Iranian documentary, Starless Dreams, which takes a compassionate look inside a juvenile detention center near Tehran.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.