Morjana Alaoui (; born November 30, 1982) is a Moroccan actress. She is best known for her starring roles in director

Laila Marrakchi Leila (, , ) is a feminine given name primarily found in the Middle East, including all Arab countries, as well as Iran, Turkey, and Israel. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, ...

's '' Marock'' and ''

Rock the Casbah "Rock the Casbah" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released in 1982 as the second single from their fifth album, ''Combat Rock''. It reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the US (their only top 10 single ...

,'' films which dealt with sexual taboos, cultural and religious values, and female emancipation in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. She also starred in

Pascal Laugier Pascal Laugier (; born 16 October 1971) is a French screenwriter and film director. Career Pascal Laugier made his first major mark in the film industry with Christophe Gans' film '' Brotherhood of the Wolf'' (2001). Laugier was a gofer on the s ...

'''s'' horror film ''

Martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

,'' a polarizing film and associated with the

New French Extremity New French Extremity describes a range of French films made at the turn of the 21st century that were considered extreme or transgressive. Films of the New French Extremity are characterized by graphic depictions of violence, especially sexual vio ...

movement.

Biography

Alaoui spent her early life in the Anfa neighborhood of

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, Morocco, and studied at the Casablanca American School. At 18, Alaoui moved to

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where she studied at the

American University of Paris The American University of Paris (AUP) is a private university in Paris, France. Founded in 1962, the university is one of the oldest American institutions of higher education in Europe, and the first to be established in France. The university ...

. While attending the university, she met director Laila Marrakchi, who offered her a role in the film '' Marock'' (2005). ''Marock'' was critically acclaimed and provided Alaoui national fame. In 2007, she began filming ''

'', for which she is also known. In 2016 Alaoui starred in psychological thriller ''Broken'' directed by Shaun Robert Smith.

Filmography

References

External links

* Moroccan film actresses Actresses from Casablanca 1982 births Living people Moroccan emigrants to the United States American film actresses 21st-century Moroccan actresses American University of Paris alumni 21st-century American actresses {{Morocco-bio-stub