Sofia Alaoui (born 1990 in Casablanca) is a French-Moroccan director and screenwriter. [1] [2] She is best known for her short film Qu'importe si les bêtes meurent. [3] [4]
Born in Casablanca to a Moroccan father and a French mother, she grew up between Morocco and China. After graduating high school in Casablanca, she moved to Paris to study cinema. [5] In 2017, she returned to Morocco to develop her own production company, Jiango Films. [6] [7]
Her first short fiction film, Kenza des choux, was screened at a number of festivals. [8] [9]
Her next film, Qu'importe si les bêtes meurent, was shot in the Atlas Mountains, featuring non-professional actors and dialogue exclusively in Tamazight. [10] It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, [11] and the César Award for Best Fiction Short Film in 2021. [12]
Alaoui's feature directorial debut, Animalia premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. [13]