Moroccan Film director, screenwriter, novelist and illustrator.

Alternate Names:
Lasri Hicham | Hisham Lasri

Hicham LASRI was born on April 13, 1977 in Casablanca, Morocco. After legal and economic studies, he started writing and moved on to the 7th art. In 2011, he directed his very first feature film: The End.

In all of his films, Hicham Lasri addresses political issues by choosing his hometown as a spatial setting.

His hats as a director, screenwriter, novelist and illustrator make 40-year-old Hicham Lasri one of the most prolific artists of his generation. To his credit, six films all awarded in Morocco and elsewhere. His latest, The closest wound to the sun, earned him a fourth invitation to the Berlin International Film Festival.

After legal studies, he changes orientation and begins a career of writer, playwright and script-writer. He writes a first feature film for Omar Chraîbi, and then collaborates with other directors as Taieb Louhichi, Lahcen Zinoun, Rachid El Ouali and Nabil Ayouch. He obtains the big price of the young writer of the Union of Morocco's Writers in 2005 and the Special prize Naaman (Lebanon) for the play (K)Rêve. He is also a prize-winner of Grand Prix 2M of Literature for the Science fiction novel as well as of multiple prizes of short stories and poetry.

In 2002, he wins the Mohammed Reggab prize of the scenario and realizes his first short film "Géometrie des remords", produced by Nabil Ayouch. It is the beginning of a long collaboration which extends over several years, three other short films and the feature film: "The Iron Bone" in 2007.

In 2006 he becomes the artistic director and writing director of Film Industry, he oversees the creation of 17 films within the framework of this ambitious project.

Hicham Lasri manages to combine his director's activity (music videos, commercials and other creations besides the fiction) as well as the writing activity in association with other directors while being opened to all the possibilities of collaboration in all the Media.

ABOUT THE ARTIST - À PROPOS DE L'ARTISTE (Official website)

Hicham Lasri likes to call himself a silver surfer. Some people on the internets like to call him Daddy Desdenova..we think it works! Hicham Lasri, born April 13, 1977 is a casablancais artist: a film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, comic books' creator, and lately also a singer in his own band Chic Chocs. Since the age of 16, Hicham Lasri was a compulsive storyteller. Growing up and developing his craft in a country that does not value individuality, he was always welcomed with a "what the fuck?" Face but that only meant more fun for him.

Hicham Lasri started off writing screenplays and plays for the Theatre which he got back to doing this very year. In chronological order Hicham Lasri wrote for the theatre: (K)Rêve (2007), Larmes de joie un jour de Zemzem (2008), & Les invisibles (2019) which he will also be directing.

In his six feature films he tackles the most taboo topics he can find, so frontally that talking about his movies becomes taboo. His trademark being dissidence, people think twice before approaching his work. In six years, his six movies The End (2012), They Are The Dogs (2013), The Sea is Behind (2015), Starve Your Dog (2016), Headbang Lullaby (2017) & Jahilya (2018) : premiered at CANNES, twice, TIFF, once & BERLINALE, four times. The freshness of Lasri's vision allowed the teams' of these respectable cinema festivals to choose his movies on bases other than tokenism and naive cultural diversity quotas. To this day, his movies escape the clichés usually found in North African cinema, and we are happy to say: no Arab was ever a terrorist in a Lasri movie, which is a post 9/11 rarity. His last movie Jahiliya was the final light streak in a sequel of dreams and nightmares embroidered in the national trauma related to the late political regime. The artisan is now on feature film break, taking in enough momentum before kickstarting his seventh film which is currently in the pre-production phase.

During this break, Hicham wrote, directed and produced three short movies, namely, Love in Aleppo (2018), WASTELAND (2018) & The Male Gaze (2018). We gladly share with you the fruits of some of the most experimental projects of the artist to date. He also wrote 1 novel, 1 graphic novel, started surfing and then made wrote and directed three other short movies: Cruelty Free (2019) Androides & Zombies (2019) & The Last Arab Movie (2019)…okay you get the idea, it's not a break.

Hicham Lasri is also a novelist of three. Static (2012), Sainte Rita (2015), Bobblehead (2019) are three novels about many different things but what your average fourth cover will not tell you is that they are intricate ravings that serve as the steel beams to Lasri's fictional universe. What Hicham Lasri's novels tell us is this: The protagonist will suffer, the more dominant group will be made of stulti, the love story won't have a happy ending, the music will exclusively be Rock n' Roll, and the linearity won't make it to the final draft.

For the national TV, Hicham Lasri makes movies, sitcoms and shows that he describes as works that are made to be viewed inside a family's home without hurting any domestic sensibilities.

The opus mixtum goes on as we have yet to speak of the web series Hicham Lasri wrote, directed and produced for his online fans' eyes only. In only two years Hicham Lasri's original content on youtube generated millions of views, comments and so much hate that we know for sure: the internet loves it! In No Vaseline Fatwa (2016) Hicham Lasri uses Youtube's codes to tell surreal truths such as those of the freelance terrorist Vlogger documenting his daily life, live from a cave in Afghanistan and in Bissara Overdose (2017) a frustrated single woman's ramblings become a funny, trashy, Youtube version of No-sex & The City.

The web series Caca Mind is a sarcastic fuck-off to the ambient lack of public spirit found in Moroccan society.

Khal Rass (2017) is a mysterious set of videos showcasing an array of street pokemons that seem to have evolved a bit too much. Honestly, even we are not sure what to make of it.

The last web series Hicham Lasri signed, L'Klam Hachakoum (2018) was a blatant sexual DIY class inviting Moroccans to masturbate and/or have sex regularly, because it's healthy. Yep.

Graphic novels

Vaudou (2016) is story that happens in three seconds, and over a hundred pages. In Vaudou a protagonist attempts uttering a word, just one, but has to overcome a thousand demons before he can make the unsurmountable feat. Fawda (2017) is a series of graphic states of mind and states of heart that capture Casablanca's inner turmoil. Tijuana Bible (2018) a pornographic graphic novel guest starring Hitchcock & L'Marroc (2019) is a guide for the 3022 historian looking to understand the noble nation of Morocco.

Music:

Hicham Lasri wrote and directed four music videos for the Moroccan Rock n' Roll band Hoba Hoba Spirit. He also sings, stars and directs in L'B3abe3, a song and a music video always to the honor of the trademark Moroccan lack of coherent thought.


His Filmography (as Actor)
2020 - Cruelty free (Short)
* The husband

His Filmography (as director)
2020 - Cruelty free (Short)
2019 - Love in aleppo (Short)
2018 - Jahilya / La blessure la plus rapprochée du soleil (Berlinale 2018, Forum)
2017 - Headbang Lullaby; 90 min., (Berlinale 2017, Panorama)
2016 - Nhar Zwin (TV Movie) (directed by)
2015 - Affame Ton Chien (Starve Your Dog); 94 min., (Berlinale 2016, Panorama)
2014 - Al bahr min ouaraikoum (The Sea is Behind); 88 min., (Berlinale 2015, Panorama)
2013 - C'est eux les chiens... (They Are the Dogs); 85 min.
2011 - Android (Video short) (as Hisham Lasri); 8 min.
2011 - The End (as Hisham Lasri); 105 min.
2010 - Terminus des anges (as Hisham Lasri)
2007 - L'os de fer (TV Movie) (as Hisham Lasri)
2005 - Jardin des Rides; 13 min.
2005 - Lunatika (Short) (as Hisham Lasri)
2002 - Géométrie Du Remords (Short) (as Hisham Lasri)

His Filmography (as Writer)
2020 - Cruelty free (Short) (writer)
2018 - Yto (Short)
2018 - Jahilya / La blessure la plus rapprochée du soleil (Berlinale 2018, Forum)
2017 - Headbang Lullaby; 90 min., (Berlinale 2017, Panorama)
2016 - Nhar Zwin (TV Movie)
2015 - Affame Ton Chien (Starve Your Dog); 94 min., (Berlinale 2016, Panorama)
2014 - Al bahr min ouaraikoum (The Sea is Behind); 88 min., (Berlinale 2015, Panorama)
2013 - Ymma (co-writer - as Hisham Lasri)
2013 - C'est eux les chiens... (They Are the Dogs); 85 min.
2011 - Android (Video short) (writer - as Hisham Lasri); 8 min.
2011 - The End (as Hisham Lasri); 105 min.
2010 - Terminus des anges (as Hisham Lasri)
2007 - L'os de fer (TV Movie) (as Hisham Lasri)
2007 - Tissée de mains et d'étoffe (written by - as Hisham Lasri)
2006 - Tizaoul (as Hisham Lasri)
2005 - Lunatika (Short) (as Hisham Lasri)
2003 - Rahma (writer - as Hisham Lasri)
2002 - Géométrie Du Remords (Short) (as Hisham Lasri)

His Filmography (as Producer)
2018 - Jahilya / La blessure la plus rapprochée du soleil (Berlinale 2018, Forum) (co-producer)
2015 - Affame Ton Chien / Starve Your Dog; 94 min., (Berlinale 2016, Panorama) (producer - as Hisham Lasri)
2014 - Al bahr min ouaraikoum (The Sea is Behind); 88 min., (Berlinale 2015, Panorama)
2011 - Android (Video short) (associate producer - as Hisham Lasri); 8 min.

His Filmography (as Art director)
2008 - Houti Houta (TV Movie) (as Hisham Lasri)
2006 - Tiwarga (TV Movie) (as Hisham Lasri)

His Filmography (as Cinematographer)
2011 - Android (Video short) (as Hisham Lasri); 8 min.

Source:
https://en.bluehourfilms.fr/hicham-lasri
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1662776/
https://lasrihicham.wordpress.com/a-propos-de-lartiste/
http://www.torinofilmlab.it/people/959-hicham-lasri

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AR | عربي

Hicham Lasri - هشام العسري

هشام العسري فنان مقيم في الدار البيضاء. هو كاتب وروائي ومخرج ومنتج. وبعد دراسته القانون والاقتصاد فقد فضّل تجريد اللغة السينمائية واختار طريق الكتابة. أخرج العديد من الأفلام القصيرة ، وطور منهجًا شخصيًا متجذرًا في مجتمع الدار البيضاء
: أفلامه الروائية الستة
The End (2012), The Sea is Behind (2015), Starve Your Dog (2016), Headbang Lullaby (2017), Jahilya (2018)
تمتعت بنجاح دولي وتم اختيارها في أرقى المهرجانات بما في ذلك مهرجان كان و مهرجان برليناله و مهرجان تيف. من خلال شركته الإنتاجية اوتسايدرز، أنتج بنفسه فيلمه الأخير هايش مايش

Source :
JCC 2021 (Takmil Lab)
* WINNER: OIF Prize (10 000 euros)
www.jcctunisie.org/ar/takmilFilms.php