Casablanca, the spring of 1961. Edoardo (43) signs up for a mission to rescue a mysterious wrecked ship on the shores of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, a sacred caravan of Tuareg down in the Sahara starts its long journey to reach the exact same destination. The ship named Talassim disappeared from the map together with its crew in a dangerous area ruled by local tribes and the Moroccan army; in a time when the former colonies are being invaded by treasure hunters, carpetbaggers, and oil-seekers from all over the world, the locals have little trust in strangers. It is not only the promise of a great adventure that attracts Edoardo, he also wants to escape the pain of losing his wife in a dirty business affair.
"At the very beginning, some 10 years ago, there was this diary that my grandfather Eduardo wrote from the 30s to 1961. He chose exile in the 30s due to the fascist times and in 1931 he was supposed to go to America. Finally, he stopped in Morocco where he spent WWII, four years in French prisons, because during the war every enemy of France was sent mainly to Morocco. So as an Italian, my grandfather was put in jail during this time", Yassine Marco Marroccu told FNE.
"What happened after the Holocaust for example, was that it somehow forced people to ask for forgiveness. Pardon means to reconstruct and to rebuild. That never happened in Africa and also for Amerindian natives, and that can happen only through this kind of artistic expression", Marroccu also added.
The main cast includes Mohamed Zouaoui, Mourad Hmimou, Sonia Okacha, Michele Venitucci, Attila Menszátor-Héresz, Marco Grasso, Aaron Ezekiel Hornecker Van Ech and Yassine Marco Marroccu.
The film is produced by Andrea Taschler through Hungarian Mirage Film and Moroccan Eclipse Films, and coproduced by Kamal El Kacimi through Moroccan Rif Film Morocco.
The financial partners of the project are the Centre Cinématographique Marocain (400,000 EUR), the National Film Institute - Hungary (NFI) (400,000 EUR) and Hungarian Film Incentive (100,000 EUR).
The total budget is 1.5 m EUR.
The principal photography started in Hungary in May 2022, continued in July-August in Morocco and returned to Hungary in October 2022. A few shooting days are still ahead in Morocco.
The film is estimated to be finished in 2023.
Production Information:
Producers:
Mirage Film (Hungary)
Andrea Taschler: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Eclipse Films (Morocco)
Coproducers:
Rif Film Morocco (Morocco)
Credits:
Director: Yassine Marco Marroccu
DoPs: Djordje Arambasic, Gergely Pálos
Editor: László Dunai
Production designer: Mónika Esztán
Costume designer: Amal El Atrache, Krisztina Szakos
Cast: Mohamed Zouaoui, Mourad Hmimou, Sonia Okacha, Michele Venitucci, Attila Menszátor-Héresz, Marco Grasso, Aaron Ezekiel Hornecker Van Ech, Yassine Marco Marroccu
