Film Movement has bought North American rights to “Bouchra,” a fusion of queer storytelling and experimental animation, which debuted at Toronto in the Platform section.
“Bouchra” is directed by a duo of visual artists, Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani, who last collaborated on “2 Lizards,” a pandemic-era series now held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Film Movement will bring “Bouchra” to theaters in 2026, before expanding the film’s reach across leading VOD and digital platforms and the home entertainment marketplace.
Set between Morocco and New York City, “Bouchra” follows a Moroccan filmmaker living in New York who finds herself stuck in a creative crisis. “A phone call with her mother, Aïcha, in Casablanca triggers a cascade of memories — some tender, some fraught — opening a luminous pathway through daughterhood, family bonds, diasporic longing, and the exhilarating, complicated freedom of queer love,” reads the synopsis.
The feature has earned critical laurels, including the Gold Q-Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.
“‘Bouchra’ is a remarkable accomplishment — piercing in its emotion, stunning in its visual imagination, and deeply resonant in its portrait of family and identity,” said Michael Rosenberg, Film Movement’s president, who jointly announced the acquisition with Ola Byszuk of Lucky Number, which handles international sales on “Bouchra.”
“Orian and Meriem have created a one-of-a-kind animated feature that pushes arthouse storytelling into new territory. It’s a privilege to share this bold and essential film with audiences throughout North America,” Rosenberg added.
Aside from “Bouchra,” Film Movement has also recently acquired Chie Hayakawa’s award-winning “Renoir,” which competed at this year’s Cannes; Dominik Moll’s Palme d’Or-nominated police procedural, “Case 137,” another Cannes competition selection; “Living the Land,” Huo Meng’s Berlinale Silver Bear-winner; and “An American Pastoral” from French filmmaker Auberi Edler, winner of the best directing award at IDFA.