Acclaimed Moroccan animated feature Bouchra heads to UK cinemas

Acclaimed visual artists Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki make their feature directorial debut with Bouchra, a genre-blending animated drama arriving in UK cinemas on 7^th August. Produced by Fondazione Prada, the film combines 3D animation, documentary and autofiction to tell an intimate story of identity, family and artistic expression.

The film follows Bouchra, a 35-year-old queer Moroccan artist and filmmaker living in New York who is struggling to complete the script for her autobiographical debut feature. As writer’s block threatens her creative ambitions, a series of long-overdue phone calls with her mother in Casablanca begin to unearth unresolved tensions surrounding her sexuality, leading her towards a new understanding of both her work and herself.

Blending photorealistic backdrops of New York and Casablanca with anthropomorphic animal characters, Bouchra draws on recordings of Bennani’s own conversations with her mother to create a deeply personal portrait that explores migration, queerness and the complexities of family relationships. The film expands on the duo’s collaborative practice, following their acclaimed 2020 web series 2 Lizards.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025, where it became the first animated film nominated for the Platform Prize, Bouchra has since screened at the New York and Chicago International Film Festivals, winning the Gold Q-Hugo Award in Chicago’s OutLook programme. Ahead of its UK release, preview screenings will take place at London’s Rio Cinema on 29^th July, Glasgow Film Theatre on 6th August and Edinburgh Filmhouse on 7^th August, in partnership with local LGBTQ+ organisations.

The editorial unit

Bouchra is released in select cinemas on 7^th August 2026.

Watch the trailer for Bouchra here: