women-from-morocco

"It describes feelings, emotions, doubt, self-destruction, frustration and depicts a youth who does not necessarily question themselves, who likes excess and cares for inconsistencies, who judges themselves to be both victims and guilty, while being lost, in search of meaning but also in search of themselves."

"As this group has gained a wider following, it has resulted in some changes. Fairly often, someone will post something about a pile-up of rubbish in their neighbourhood. People start to comment on it and share it. Then, soon after, city workers come and deal with the issue"

"It is about the impotence, the disillusionment that devours us without being able to express it, to shout it, to claim it properly, without being able to make a real break and assume it, a break as an individual, a citizen of the world, a human being, a break in solitude before registering it in the group"

"First be free, then ask for freedom"

"Aside from that, I really hope that this group can help people feel more tied to their city and to be more invested in caring for it"

"We’ve also seen both municipal officials and those who work with the public transportation system release statements to respond to certain criticisms posted on the group. We think that is fairly brave of them. It is also a space to let people know what their friends and neighbours find inconsiderate behaviour, like parking a car on a pavement or blocking pedestrian crossings"

"Quite a few journalists follow our page so that brings some media attention to issues that affect a large number of Casablanca residents. Recently, for example, there were debates on the state of the beaches around Casablanca and the people who take over various sections and illegally force beachgoers to pay if they want to swim or sunbathe there"

"There are four main themes of discussion on this group: the management of rubbish and city cleanliness, public transportation, the use of public space, and security"

"We must make our own choices and not follow those that have been suggested to us, define ourselves in relation to our life and not the one that society imposes on us, free ourselves from ourselves, from our demons, our paradoxes and our famous schizophrenia, to better free ourselves from others and inhabit the world as it is."

"It seems that above 40, Moroccan women in films are asexual, they can only be wives or mothers. That’s a big issue in this country and it’s not being addressed enough in movies — women passed a certain age tend to feel neglected by their husbands once the children have left the households as if their only roles was to procreate and raise the kids"

""I believe in humanity. I believe in its potential. I believe in its intelligence. And I believe that Moroccans are intelligent beings."

"It’s refreshing to work on a film like this; there are so few movies about women’s desires and sexual needs in Morocco, as it’s the case in other Muslim countries,"

"Rightists do not represent humanity,they cause division and incitement to civil war."

"Today the rightists do not represent humanity for me. I'm sorry if it sounds bad but I say what I feel."

"Dear god, there are also Arab citizens in this country. When the hell will someone in this government convey to the public that Israel is a state of all its citizens and that all people were created equal, and that even the Arabs and the Druze and the LGBTs and — shock — the leftists are human."

"Yes. As soon as I'd graduated from high-school, even before I'd decided to become an actress, I knew I'd leave."

"We are counting on the commitment of all parties to turn the pledges made in Paris into specific objectives, effective mechanisms and concrete projects so that our ambitions may become a tangible reality, for the sake of our planet and for the benefit of future generations."

"The right’s incitement against the left is so deep and hard that it has already wounded us."

"I didn't stay very long in Los Angeles. I really haven't got time to deal with the clichés which Sofia suffers from playing roles linked to her origins. I had to cut short my stay there to shoot Pascal Laugier's film, MARTYRS. That film really allowed me to move beyond the stereotypes within which actors from North Africa are too often confined. To me, the important thing is not that Sofia lives in Los Angeles – she could just as easily live in London or Paris. What's important is that she decided to go and live far away to realize her dreams freely and independently of her family"

"It’s no longer right or left, it’s humanity against insanity."

"I am so glad that you asked! People so often focus on the last few years, and forget that I, like every other person, have roots. My roots are in Morocco, even though my dreams have always been in Eretz Yisrael"

"I also had to be the support for my whole household. Each member of the family processed the loss differently. One child started asking, “Where is G-d, how could He have done something like this?” My husband became physically sick – on Uriel’s first yahrzeit he suffered a heart attack. I knew I was the backbone of the family. As a woman, I had a deep desire to make sure my house wouldn’t fall apart, and this made me find the strength to be the rock of the house. It was very difficult, but I knew what my goal was."

"To achieve the desired energy transition, it is important to make sure countries benefit from the full range of incentives. We also need to impose carbon pricing and cover all key sectors, including insurance and maritime and air transport. Moreover, solutions must be found to environmental trade barriers, and developing countries should be supported in their endeavors to diversify their economies and have access to patented technology on preferential terms."

"Maybe a little [...] Not on a daily basis, but I'm fine, I have a good life, I have a good laugh."

"I definitely spoke to professionals, and even when I wasn't, they were coming to me and contacting me. I also received for years letters of youngsters who were inspired to follow the same career."

"One of the greatest challenges we faced when we made Aliyah was the language barrier. I was a ten-year-old girl and struggled to learn Hebrew, but my parents found it even harder, and so I had to become their spokesperson and advocate. We would go to the social services with my parents, and as a little girl I would be the one telling the government official “we don’t have a blanket, we need this or that.” Even once we left the ma’abarah and moved to the city, there would often be a line outside my house, as I would write letters for people who didn’t know how to write themselves."

"For me it was different, because there was another actress who was supposed to do the role, but at the last minute she got afraid because she had a son, she didn't want him to see such violent images, so she changed her mind. So Pascal was back looking for an actress and he saw my first movie, so we had lunch. And then this was quite strange because I didn't do any screen tests or anything, he just said it was going to be me."

"To avoid any malicious instrumentalization that would disguise my patriotism, my values, and my deep convictions."

"You know it's a very hard question because we did a lot of preparation but how are you going to prepare, you know, screaming or – so we were really focussed and we worked a lot. It was a chaotic shoot. And the make-up and everything, all this helped me be in my character and I couldn't cheat on any emotions, Pascal wouldn't allow us to cheat, so just on set, they were just coming up."

"To those who would like to burden me, I would say that my action, as a volunteer in the Rabita, for almost ten years had no other ambition than to serve my country and to promote this third way, that of a peaceful Islam, contextualized and in tune with universal humanist values compatible with our cultural values."

"It is, therefore, important to agree on a clear, predictable, concrete roadmap to raise the funds needed to finance projects and thus foster the desired change in private investment patterns."

"A second challenge was getting used to the Israeli mentality. In Morocco, we grew up with a tremendous sense of respect for parents and teachers. In Israel, I went to school and heard a child shouting at his mother – I was shocked! It wasn’t easy getting used to the sabra mentality."

"Wearing a headscarf is not, in itself, a spiritual target. Those who do not “feel” the need to do so have the freedom to live their spirituality outside of this standard “garment.” And those who feel a need to follow this prescription and see it as a profound experience of intimacy and inwardness with the Creator also have the freedom to live their spirituality within the “garment” standard. In both cases, it is a matter of living one’s spirituality according to the same liberating approach. The headscarf is a part of the ethic and is, before all, a woman’s right. Women must have the right to choose to wear it or not to wear it, knowingly (an informed decision), because the right to wear it is inevitably linked to the right not to wear it."

"I did not want to express myself, from abroad, where I was participating in an academic seminar, on the reasons that led to my resignation."

"I was already starring for quite a time in a high-rated series at the time: Commissaire Moulin, and I had heard of a sort of Cagney and Lacey kind of series and found the idea very appealing. It was as serious as Law and Order, one of my favorite series of all time."

"I knew right away I would have lots of fun playing a passionate, devoted district-attorney committed to fight for the good but dealing all along with family problems, ex-husband, personal life, love and much more... That was like playing two parts in one, as many people in real life, my character was definitely not the same in private than in her professional life."

"Considering some of the mistakes I've made along the way, I tell myself that it's not so bad. I would have loved to have a child. The time I could have had one, I was too young and I didn't accept it. I happened to see the man with whom it could have happened and I felt a mutual regret."

"We cannot mix this with blackmail in hiring, but I think there was something very subtle in the way the message can be distilled... We make you understand that we would prefer not to ."

"Yeah. And have my head shaved. It was cool because I always wanted to see what it looked like, but afterwards – it was two years ago, so I've been struggling to get my hair back. I'm happier this way."

"It took a lot of time. We used to wake up at like 3am to start shooting at 7am, so it was quite intense, as well. But I had never realised there was such a different world, so it was very interesting."

"It actually helped me sign contracts with record labels and management teams (…) it just went very fast after Idols."

"I was raised as a Muslim but my family and I celebrated both Muslim and Christian holidays."

"I have so many childhood memories of Morocco."

"All contestants were imitating famous singers (…) I was imitating Vanessa Williams and managed to reach the finals"

"My parents heard me singing and they were surprised because they did not know I could sing."

"My relationship at the time ended and I decided to go to Nashville to record country music and try something new. When I was in Nashville I unexpectedly received a phone call from the well-known songwriter Philip Lawrence. He asked me whether I could come to Los Angeles. It’s Philip Lawrence, so I got on the plane and met him in a studio in L.A. He had just finished rehearsing with Beyonce and Bruno Mars for the Super Bowl."

"My lawyer, Channing Johnson, introduced me to Adrian Miller and we talked about music. I was impressed with how he helped Anderson Paak build his career as an independent artist. That matched up well with what I wanted for myself. Adrian introduced me to DJ Chris Cox, who has over 60 number 1 hits on the Billboard Dance Chart. He made the remix for my single “Lost.” In January of this year my single “Lost” was released. The second week after my single was released, I made my debut on Billboard."

"Oh, yeah, many, many times. I often cried on the phone when I was talking to my parents. At some point, I almost lost my confidence. My hair started to fall out from all the stress. My mother told me to come back home, but I told her that I believed in my songs and that I had to stay and give it a shot."

"I remember I texted him 'happy turn of the decade' in January,That was it."

"My first and only impression was, God, that guy comes in and leaves as soon as the bell goes ding"