Directed by

Samira El Mouzghibati

(Y)OUR MOTHER

Les Miennes
Directed by

Samira El Mouzghibati

Year:

2024

Country:

Belgium | France

Language:

French, Arabic, Riffian

Medium:

documentary

Genre:

Runtime:

100 minutes

Production: Michigan Films | co-produced by Visualantics & Pivonka Production

Synopsis

As the youngest among my five sisters, I am aware that I carry a painful legacy from their past. In response to a tragic incident that was kept quiet, my sisters formed a clan with a tight-knit bond from which our mother was excluded. Thus, when we talked about her we said "your mother", as if she was no longer ours. For the very first time, we hear what she has to say – Samira El Mouzghibati

Technical crew

Festivals

Awards

Why we love it

Samira El Mouzghibati tells us with authenticity in her first documentary feature how, years after her birth, she met her mother again. The film deals gently and consciously with how silences created distance between these sisters and their mother. Samira emotionally captures how a mother is not born a mother, but becomes one.

About the director

Born in Belgium to parents from the Rif region of Morocco, Samira El Mouzghibati pursued her studies at INSAS Brussels, where she chose to specialize in editing and script work. She gradually enriched her experience by participating in various projects, collaborating with directors from different backgrounds, for short and feature-length films, both fiction and documentary, in Geneva, Marrakech, Marseille and Brussels.


Convinced of the transformative power of cinema, Samira directed her first documentary (Y)OUR MOTHER (Les Miennes). She delicately weaves personal and universal narratives while reconnecting with her roots. Samira strives to delve into intimate subjects through her work, constantly seeking to redefine the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.

Intention Note

Why we love it

Samira El Mouzghibati tells us with authenticity in her first documentary feature how, years after her birth, she met her mother again. The film deals gently and consciously with how silences created distance between these sisters and their mother. Samira emotionally captures how a mother is not born a mother, but becomes one.