The Mother of All Lies review – pursuing the truth of Morocco’s brutal dictatorship years

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Asmae El Moudir employs a delicate mix of handmade replicas and oral testimony to brilliantly evoke personal and collective trauma Between those who refuse to remember and those who struggle to forget, a tumultuous clash of minds occupies the centre of Asmae El Moudir’s inventive documentary, a prize-winner at last year’s Cannes film festival. Through a constellation of clay figurines and dollhouse-style miniature sets, most of which were constructed by El Moudir’s father, the director recreates her oppressive childhood in the Sebata district of Casablanca. Under the watchful eyes of her domineering grandmother Zahra, all personal photos are banished from the house, save for a picture of King Hassan II. The delicate mix of handmade replicas and oral testimony brilliantly evokes the personal and collective trauma that stem from Morocco’s “Years of Lead” – a period of state brutality under Hassan II’s dictatorial rule. Lingering on the nimble fingers of El Moudir’s father as he puts t
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Bobi Wine: The People’s President review – shocking look at Ugandan star’s campaign

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For five years, documentary-makers followed the musician and politician as he attempted to challenge the country’s reigning autocratic leader

“I am not a criminal. I am a presidential candidate.” That’s Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu – AKA Bobi Wine – speaking from inside a police van, his face pressed to the bars after being arrested for the umpteenth time. Wine is a Ugandan pop superstar; his music has earned him the nickname “Ghetto President”. This intense, raw documentary, shot over five years, follows his attempt to become Uganda’s actual president – challenging the long-reigning autocrat Yoweri Museveni. It’s an intimate portrait combined with increasingly shocking footage as his opposition movement comes under attack.

Wine is a man with intoxicating charisma, and a cracking backstory. He grew up in a Kampala slum, pulling himself up by his bootstraps, paying his own way through university and launching a music career. His childhood made him fearless, he says. At university he met his wife Barbie; at home with their four children we see what a solid rock their marriage is. Wine stood as an MP in 2017, angry at proposals by Museveni – clinging to power after more than 30 years – to change the constitution to remove the upper age limit for presidents.

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