Moroccan-Jewish “The Guards of Memory” Movie Showcased in NYSJFF

Moroccan movie “The Guards of Memory” was screened, on Monday, as part of the 25th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF), offering an immersion in the rich Jewish-Moroccan cultural heritage.
The event, which runs until Thursday, is organized by the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) and the Mimouna Association.
The movie, directed by Said Belli, uses the Moroccan vernacular, French, and Hebrew. It spans 70 minutes with the history of Jews in the country as the primary focus.
Mimouna Association’s intimate interviews, personal opinions, news archive, and footage from the city of Fez helped turn the movie into a remarkable narrative of the 2500-year-old Jewish community.
The movie honors Rabbi Abraham Sabbagh, who worked tirelessly to preserve and sustain the Fassi Moroccan-Jewish community.
Following the movie screening, a Moroccan-themed evening was held, celebrating the Moroccan culinary heritage that draws on the African, Jewish, Andalusian, and Mediterranean tributaries.
Shlomi Elkabetz, a Moroccan-born Israeli director filmmaker, and actor, was granted on this occasion the ASF Pomegranate award.
The same prize went Israeli singer Yasmin Levy, writer Hélène Cixous, and architect Ghiora Aharoni.