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Broken Gaiete*

Lost in an unknown and timeless land, IDIR finds himself with KASHOU a woman who claims to be his mother, crossing through a village that lives by absurd and maniacal rules. Not remembering his past Idir convinces Kashou to settle there and start a new life, but to do so he must get an -ASIV- which is to marry from the village. Beda, a woman who shares secrets with Tsicar (the village leader) marries Idir and quickly things take a decidedly strange turn when the rule about new borns is unveiled.

Director Biography – Hafid Abdelmoula

Hafid is an award-winning Moroccan-American Writer/Director, Actor and a Singer, who earned his Bachelor in Film from New Mexico State University and an MFA in directing from Vermont College of Fine arts. At an early age Hafid was a singer at the Moroccan Regional Orchestra Conservatory and an actor/writer/director at the local theater company. He wrote and directed his own first plays at the age of 20. Hafid is also a singer winner at the 1996 tv competition of the Moroccan 2M Tv channel. Since his move to USA, Hafid has been active in so many projects that led to some awards. The combination of multilingualism and an exotic background have enabled Hafid to have a multicultural diversity and a huge understanding of the world view which helps him tell better stories perspectively.

Hafid speaks multiple languages: Arabic, Berber, French, English and Some Spanish & German.

Project Links

Director Statement


I consider myself extremely lucky to have lived in two different cultures. From birth to my early 20’s I was immersed in the Moroccan culture that I consider the crude oil of my artistic creativity.

I was a very curious child and the word “WHY” was my favorite. People often called me an old soul, because of my interest in ideas and why people do certain things rather than playing soccer in the small streets of my neighborhood. When I came to America and experienced a total different cultural behavior, I was a bit shocked, what I was taught is wrong in morocco was normal in the states and vice versa. After almost two decades, I now consider myself a multicultural hybrid human being; A Moroccan American, with a brain full of cultural transistors, which are constantly switching between two perspectives and that, was the force behind me writing Broken Gaiete. The only way to encapsulate my concept was to remove the place, time and any cultural relevance from the story, and let the audience experience the absurdity of the human behavior to survive in the environment they happen to call home. Choosing to make Broken Gaiete my Grad-school thesis, was faced with a huge resistance from faculty and was considered an over ambitious project for academia’s curriculum, and for my circumstance. They were aware of ZERO budget and my demanding full time career. But when the film was complete, I was praised for believing in myself and not standing down. I graduated with honors and a generous award from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Broken Gaiete would’ve never happened without the support of my wife Trudel Abdelmoula and my kids, who made it feasible and exciting, especially when using our own garage and backyard to shoot all interior scenes.

- Hafid Abdelmoula

Director:

Hafid Abdelmoula

Writer:

Hafid Abdelmoula

Producer:

Hafid Abdelmoula, Trudel Abdelmoula

Year Released:

2020

Country:

USA

Length:

01:44:50

Reviews:

Shakespear on acid

Rod McCall

Hafid Abdelmoula is the writer/director of Broken Gaiete. He earned a Bachelor's in Film from New Mexico State University and an MFA in directing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His movie Broken Gaiete is his grad school thesis.

Hafid was born in Morocco but now lives in the States. On his multiculturalism he says, "What I was taught is wrong in Morocco was normal in the States and vice versa." And, "with a brain full of cultural transistors, which are constantly switching between two perspectives and that was the force behind me writing Broken Gaiete."

The story is about a man and his mother making their way through the desert to live up North with her brother. The story opens with them having slept through the night in the open desert and waking up. Upon waking, the man has no memory of the past. He knows only his name and his mother. As they begin their journey they meet a leader of a nearby village and the leader informs them that the sun and the demons of the desert can affect your mind. The man replies, "It must be the sun."

They're told that foreigners are not welcome in their village. But once Idir falls in love and marries Beda, he and his new family becomes subject to the strange laws of the village.

This film was met with resistance from the college but Hafid Abdelmoula persisted and graduated with honors from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Jean Sulli

Two people are lost in a desert wilderness. They find themselves looking for a permanent home due to what seems to appear to be an apocalyptic event. They are dressed in rags. They are dirty and scared. They eventually find a village with strange laws and rules that are quite antiquated. The film is about how these two wanderers attempt to adjust to their new environment.

Donnie Hill

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Film