Sonia Terrab (born 1985) is a Moroccan writer, filmmaker, and activist. Her work revolves around the status of women in Moroccan society, social hypocrisy regarding the body and sexuality, and Moroccan youth.

Biography

Terrab was born in Meknes, Morocco. After graduating high school, she moved to France, where she studied political science and communications. She is an alumna of 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 ...

. She published her first novel, ''Shamablanca'', in 2011, followed by ''La révolution n'a pas eu lieu'' in 2015. In 2016, Terrab released her first film, ''Shakespeare in Casablanca,'' a documentary''.'' The following year, she would release a web series, ''Marokkiates'', elevating the voices of Moroccan women. In 2020, she released her second documentary: ''L7sla'' (''The Dead End''), a one-year immersion with marginalized youth of a popular 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 ...

. The film was the subject of debate in Morocco after it was broadcast on the national channel 2M in October, attaining 3 million viewers.

Moroccan Outlaws

In September 2019, Terrab and fellow Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani launched the "Outlaws" manifesto for the decriminalization of individual freedoms in Morocco, which gathered more than 15,000 signatures at its launch. The manifesto would eventually lead to the establishment of a youth-led citizen and social movement (Moroccan Outlaws) advocating for individual freedoms, women's rights and the LGBT+ community. This collective, known as the 490 in reference to a controversial Moroccan law, was awarded the " Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom", which was presented to Terrab and Slimani on behalf of the movement, on January 9, 2020, in Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terrab, Sonia Moroccan film directors Moroccan women writers Moroccan writers 1985 births Living people Moroccan women activists Moroccan women's rights activists