Salvation Army (L’Armée du salut), a gay drama from Moroccan director Abdellah Taïa, won top honors at France’s Premiers Plans Angers Festival, which is devoted to first films from emerging directors.
Based on Taïa’s autobiographical novel of the same name, the film chronicles the life of a young gay man (also named Abdellah), from clandestine hookups with older men in 1980s Casablanca to his adult life in Geneva. Though he has a boyfriend, the adult Abdellah (played by Taïa himself) chafes under the weight of his exile and only finds solace in a local Salvation Army.
Abdellah Taïa accepting first prize at the Premiere Plans Angers Festival
The jury at Angers praised Taïa talent and attention to detail. “I was surprised to see how the audience liked my movie and was in no hurry to leave the room,” said the filmmaker.
His novel caused quite a stir in Morocco when it was first released, even though Taïa hasn’t lived there since the 1990s. He hopes the film is released in his homeland: “Before shooting, I submitted the screenplay in its original form to the authorities at the National Centre for Moroccan Cinema. I didn’t cut anything. I didn’t want to sugarcoat things in order to get the green light to shoot. They approved the screenplay, and I hope they end up following through by allowing the film to be released,” Taïa told The Atlantic in September. “I know a lot of people will be shocked when they see the film. But I don’t see anything shocking in it, because it portrays a reality. I’m not the only person to have lived this reality, nor am I the only one who sees it.”
Check out a snippet below.
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