Casablanca Beats

A mostly non-professional cast brings us into the Casablanca neighbourhood of Sidi Moumen and drives Casablanca Beats' exhilarating vision of hip-hop dreams. Rapper Anas Basbousi stars as a passionate musical artist -- turned-instructor at Les Etoiles de Sidi Moumen, a real-life cultural centre that director Nabil Ayouch co-founded in 2014. The lines between documentary and fiction blur as Basbousi leads a troupe of young Moroccan teens on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through hip-hop, specifically rap music. The ensemble cast bonds over rap battles in the classroom before heading back to their homes and families, where self-expression and revolutionary energy is often curtailed. Casablanca Beats present an Islam that is real -- dynamic, modern, complicated, and adored -- and turns the musical film genre on its head through a plurality of young Muslim voices, teens who learn to elevate their community by embracing each other.