Rock the Casbah

Rock the Casbah is a 2013 French-Moroccan comedy-drama written and directed by Laïla Marrakchi. The Pathé production features dialogue in French, Arabic, and English, and it was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

The story unfolds in Tangier around a well-off family: the sudden death of businessman Moulay Hassan (Omar Sharif) brings his widow Aicha (Hiam Abbass) and their three daughters Miriam (Nadine Labaki), Kenza (Lubna Azabal), and Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) together for three days of mourning. The return of Sofia, who left for America to pursue an acting career, forces long-buried family secrets and old resentments into the open. Balancing humor with drama, the film explores the tensions between tradition, family loyalty, and personal freedom.