For this week’s episode I met with Nadir Bouhmouch, the filmmaker behind the documentary Amussu. In the film, Nadir takes a collaborative approach to telling the story of the villagers of Imidir peacefully protesting against Africa’s largest silver mine, located in the region, that led to water scarcity in their oasis and their right to land. Beautifully shot, the film included images of the oasis when water was scarce and its impact on agriculture, stepped inside homes to interview local residents and captured video of daily village life.

I first learned about Amussu as it premiered at the 2019 Toronto Hot Docs festival. I happened to catch the film when it made its Marrakech premiere this autumn. Following the release, I met with Nadir to chat about the protests that have been dubbed the Movement on Road 96 and his collaborative approach to telling this tale. But also the peaceful approach the locals took to bring about change when they’d had enough.

So let’s listen in as Nadir talks about sharing the tale of a village that, while the struggle is not over, succeeded in shutting down one of the water pipelines, thus bringing some life back to this oasis in southern Morocco.

Find out more about Amussu and latest news and screenings, follow on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/amussufilm/.

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