The road and its treasures are said to be guarded by an old spirit named Moulay Fettah, known by the sound of his rusty chains, which spread like a spider's web in the woods. If you wish him to give you a treasure, you must offer the blood of a Zouhri child.
While fleeing the police and leaving behind his native village, Rahal, a young thug in his thirties, crosses paths with and saves Taher, a Zouhri child who is about to be sacrificed. The two share a long journey during which they must go back and forth between the real and the strange; a journey that requires that they remain out of the reach of the treasure hunters who track them, as well as the authorities. But above all, they will learn to heal their past pain and wounds, to become strong in the face of their burdens, and to know that the world is much larger than it seems in their imaginations.

a film by Ayoub LAHNOUD

Morocco, Fiction, In development

1st Feature Film

Arabic Title: طريق الخلوة
French Title: LE CHEMIN DES SUSPENDUS
English Title: ROAD TO LIMBO
Type: Feature Fiction
Country: Morocco

Director's statement
Urban myth or reality, questions surrounding zouhris (children who bring luck) have been asked for ages in Morocco. To the best of my knowledge, no cinematic work has been made examining this issue, although the subject has always intrigued and several stories have been born from it. So I asked myself: What if it were treated as an adventure?
The story of Road to Limbo arose from the confluence of several desires-first, to shed light on the purely social issue of these children and their tragedy, and above all to offer a story that would bear the codes of the appropriate film genres. Between the road-movie and the fantasy film, I believe here I have a film that will touch the general public, while maintain its auteur-film qualities, which provide the main thrust of the plot.


PRODUCER
Fatima Boubakdy (Seven Shots)

DIRECTOR
Ayoub Lahnoud

TOTAL BUDGET
€1 153 393,51
SHOOTING PERIOD AND LOCATIONS
October, November 2022, Morocco
EXPECTED DELIVERY
April 2023

PRODUCTION
Seven Shots (Morocco)
Fatima Boubakdy
seven.shots666(@)gmail.com
ayoub.lahnoud(@)hotmail.com


FESTIVALS / AWARDS
* Selection (film project) - REGARDS SUR L'ATLAS - Atlas Close-Ups / In development (ATELIERS ATLAS) /// Marrakech International Film Festival (2021, FIFM, Morocco)
LOOKING FOR: Coaches and script doctors, potential co-producers, assistance in setting up a more developed strategy for distribution and international marketing (especially via streaming)
https://atlasateliers.festivalmarrakech.info/en/selection/2021/road-to-limbo


________

AR

يقال‭ ‬أن‭ ‬الطريق‭ ‬وكنوزها‭ ‬تحرسها‭ ‬روح‭ ‬قديمة‭ ‬تُدعى‭ ‬مولاي‭ ‬فتاح،‭ ‬تُعرف‭ ‬بصوت‭ ‬سلاسلها‭ ‬الصدئة‭ ‬التي‭ ‬تنتشر‭ ‬مثل‭ ‬شبكة‭ ‬العنكبوت‭ ‬في‭ ‬الغابة‭. ‬ولكي‭ ‬تعطيك‭ ‬كنزا،‭ ‬عليك‭ ‬أن‭ ‬تقدم‭ ‬لها‭ ‬دم‭ ‬طفل‭ ‬زهري
أثناء‭ ‬فراره‭ ‬من‭ ‬رجال‭ ‬الشرطة‭ ‬تاركا‭ ‬قريته،‭ ‬يلتقي‭ ‬رحال‭ ‬فاشل‭ ‬في‭ ‬الثلاثينيات‭ ‬من‭ ‬عمره‭ ‬بطاهر‭ ‬ويقوم‭ ‬بإنقاذه‭. ‬طاهر‭ ‬طفل‭ ‬زهري‭ ‬على‭ ‬وشك‭ ‬التضحية‭ ‬به‭ ‬كقربان‭ ‬لمولاي‭ ‬فتاح‭. ‬يخوض‭ ‬الاثنان‭ ‬رحلة‭ ‬طويلة‭ ‬يتعين‭ ‬عليهما‭ ‬فيها‭ ‬عيش‭ ‬لحظات‭ ‬حقيقية‭ ‬وأخرى‭ ‬غريبة‭. ‬عليهما‭ ‬قبل‭ ‬كل‭ ‬شيء‭ ‬البقاء‭ ‬بعيدا‭ ‬عن‭ ‬متناول‭ ‬البلطجية‭ ‬الذين‭ ‬يطاردونهم‭ ‬من‭ ‬جهة،‭ ‬والسلطات‭ ‬من‭ ‬جهة‭ ‬أخرى‭. ‬وسيتعلمان‭ ‬خلال‭ ‬هذه‭ ‬الرحلة‭ ‬كيفية‭ ‬معالجة‭ ‬وقبول‭ ‬أحزان‭ ‬وجراح‭ ‬ماضيهما،‭ ‬ومواجهة‭ ‬الأعباء‭ ‬بقوة‭ ‬وشجاعة‭ ‬وبالتالي‭ ‬اكتشاف‭ ‬أن‭ ‬العالم‭ ‬أكبر‭ ‬بكثير‭ ‬مما‭ ‬كانا‭ ‬يتخيلان


كلمة المخرج
أسطورة حضرية أم حقيقة، تم ذكر هذا السؤال حول الزهريين (الأطفال الذين يجلبون الحظ) منذ زمن طويل في المغرب. لم يتم القيام بأي عمل في السينما (على حد علمي) حول هذه القضية، على الرغم من أن الموضوع كان دائما مثيرا للفضول وخرجت العديد من القصص عنه. لذا سألت نفسي هذا السؤال: ماذا لو تعاملنا مع الأمر كمغامرة
ولدت قصة طريق الخلوة من تمزق بين رغبات متعددة. أولها تسليط الضوء على هذه المسألة الاجتماعية البحتة المتعلقة بهؤلاء الأطفال ومأساتهم، وخاصة تقديم قصة تحمل رموز أنواع سينمائية مناسبة. بين فيلم الطريق والفيلم الخيالي، أشعر أن لدي فيلما يصل بشكل أساسي إلى جمهور عريض، دون أن يفقد صفاته كفيلم مؤلف والتي تمثل الحجر الأساس في الحبكة