Cinematic Poetry Format: Festival
Agafay Desert / Essaouira Beach

THE BOY WITH NO NAME

Written & Directed by Ali Benchekroune

Synopsis

A mysterious figure embarks on a silent odyssey across an endless desert. It is draped in a heavy, symbol-covered fabric and carries a basket of coal. Guided by a cryptic map drawn from a glass bottle, a relic of a long-lost maritime life, it encounters ancient, extinguished campfires in the middle of nowhere. An enigmatic quest until the unexpected happens.

READ FULL STORY (SPOILERS)
Deep in this arid odyssey, the figure discovers a fire that is still alive. Fascinated, it feeds it coal until the basket is empty. Faced with the dying embers, frustration sets in, and in a fit of rage, it tears a hole in its map. This impulsive act becomes a revelation: the tear acts as a sign. Instead of feeding the flames, it must dig into the ashes. Digging into the extinguished fires, a miracle occurs: water springs from the sand, releasing a live fish. The figure rescues the animal in the glass bottle. It then retraces its steps, unearthing a new relic at each stop: first a torch, then other forgotten treasures. The final excavation reveals a seashell. By listening to it, the magic of the senses instantly teleports the figure to a wave-swept beach. The barrenness gives way to the sea. In a burst of pure joy, the entity sheds its heavy veils, revealing the naked innocence of a little boy. Donning his unearthed treasures, a mask, a snorkel, and fins, the child runs toward the waves to release the fish. A poetic odyssey where the death of ashes gives birth to the return of life.

Director's Note

With this third short film, I wanted to mark a radical shift in my filmography. Accustomed to maximalism, I felt a vital need to challenge myself by embracing a purely poetic and visceral cinema, sculpted solely by space, silence, and imagery. I wanted to prove my ability to tell a complete story without a single line of dialogue, relying on the essence of minimalism and the power of symbols: one character, a desert, a map, and a heavy basket of coal. The film deconstructs the burden of the creative quest to ultimately reveal the purity of life. My ambition was to direct a fundamentally timeless and universal piece, capable of being told anytime, to anyone, anywhere, and in any mood.

Co-Production Note

This film marks my first experience as a co-producer, a crucial step in my career. It was a real test to see if I could carry and structure a timeless story with my own company, alongside my lifelong friend and partner Anas El Hatimi, and in synergy with my great friends and producers Hicham El Ghorfi and Frantz Richard. The main challenge of this co-production was to bring to life a work relying entirely on the expressiveness of hostile natural environments, bridging the absolute barrenness of the Agafay desert with the vastness of Essaouira's beach. Managing the logistics of these two extreme locations with a very small technical crew demanded relentless rigor. We proved that an ambitious cinematic production can be built on the economy of means and the poetic power of minimalism.

Production

LIONS PRODUCTION & SERVICE
& MAGHREBIAN ART COMPANY

Moroccan Based Production

Project Timeline

Production: 2020

Current Status: Released

Contact

byalicocontact@gmail.com

Cast

Aydann Benchekroune THE CHILD / THE MYSTERIOUS FIGURE
The Complete Crew

Writer & Director

Ali Benchekroune

Production Companies

  • Lions Production & Service
  • Maghrebian Art Company

Producers

  • Hicham El Ghorfi
  • Frantz Richard
  • Anas El Hatimi

Making Of

Mohamed Bakrim

Director of Photography

Hamza Gounin

1st AC

Jallal Achour

Camera Assistant

Hamza El Gorda

1st Assistant Director

Tam Slimani

Video

Morad Belmouden

Editing

Mehdi Lachhab

Sound Engineer

Abdelmounaim Enokra

Boom Operator

Monsef Andalib

Sound Mixer

Anis Berjamy

Mixing Assistant

Ilyass Ziani

Sound Editor & Music

Enzo Tibi

Costume Design

Laurence Leenaert

Art Department

Mohamed El Barj

VFX, Title Design & Color

Ali Benchekroune

Location Manager

Samir Gougas

Production Assistant

Meissoune Benchekroune

Special Thanks

Hamza • Tam • Hicham • Mimi • Mehdi • Frantz • Niz • Moun • Bakrim • Ornella