Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets

Nabil Ayouch's 2000 Moroccan film is about street children living around the port of Casablanca. Ali, Kwita, Omar and Boubker have run from a gang leader and are living on their own, spending their days sniffing glue and wandering the harbour. Ali wants to be a sailor and says so constantly; he is killed when a stone hits his head during a fight. The three who remain decide to bury him like a prince, and that is the film's real story: finding the money for a funeral, looking for a grave and coming to terms with the death. The production worked with children actually living on the street, and that casting gives the account a direct reality. Ali's dreams are shown in animation. Who it's for: viewers who like North African cinema and films about street children. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not approach substance use and the death of a child.