Nadir Bouhmouch, a Moroccan filmmaker, human rights activist, and feminist, was born in Casablanca and raised in Rabat. He became an active member of the Moroccan pro-democracy "February 20th movement" in 2011, which has been responsible for widespread protests, the redrafting of the Moroccan constitution, and the displacement of the former Moroccan government.
As a co-founder of the Guerrilla Cinema movement, Nadir is particularly interested in campaigning against filmmaking regulations in Morocco, which he sees as a constraint on freedom of expression. He directed, produced, and wrote "My Makhzen & Me" (2011),the first film to cover a Moroccan oppositional movement, which became a landmark in Moroccan cinema.
"My Makhzen and Me" was released online as a non-profit work to expose the February 20th Movement, and gained international attention as a result. The film premiered on February 20th, 2012, the one-year anniversary of the protests in Morocco, and was projected in 16 different cities in 5 countries.
Nadir was hailed as the "bete noire of Moroccan directors" by SlateAfrique Magazine, as his film directly addressed the oppressive methodology of the Makhzen against the people, revealing issues that no other Moroccan filmmaker dared to touch. He has recently released his first feature documentary, 475, which exposes the Amina Filali affair - the suicide of a 16-year-old Moroccan girl who was allegedly forced to marry her rapist.
The film won the Jury award for 2013 "Best Social Activism" from Deutsche Welle and Reporters Without Borders' "The Bobs" awards.
