Shot in collaboration with biologist Younes Boundir on the Moroccan Atlantic coast, Atlantic Ragagar is an experimental film about seaweed and pollution. With its clear waters, the beach at Sidi Bouzid is home to dozens of species of algae. Further south, in Safi, marine biodiversity suffers from pollution caused by phosphate factories. The film takes a listening approach to these phenomena, inviting viewers to enter into a process of ecological transformation. While pollution often remains invisible and inaudible, its effects are rendered through the voice and presence of performer Iman Zoubai. Through singing, breathing and interactions with algae, a new figure gradually emerges, “maouj”, an aquatic body open to transcorporeal and interspecies speculation.
Concept, camera, sound, editing: Gilles Aubry
Voice and performance: Imane Zoubai
Scientific advising, voice, and additional images: Younes Boundir
Color correction: Nicolas Perret
World premiere and special mention at Ji-Hlava International Documentary Film Festival (IDFF 2022)
Swiss premiere at Norient Film Festival 2023 in Bern
Additional screenings at REWIRE Festival (The Hague, 2023) and FIFA Montreal (2023)
