Manar Sadki: intimate stories from the ladies
At 22, Moroccan film-maker Manar Sadki portrays intimate confidences shared by women in toilets. Her aim with these videos and podcasts is to liberate voices and change laws and public attitudes.
Profile by Emmanuel de Solère Stintzy.
“Stand up!”
“Do not regret anything you have done out of love.” And various other flowery curses that we won’t include here... Manar Sadki, 22, reads these words written on the walls of women’s toilets in Tunis. The young Moroccan film-maker is pitching her project entitled Toilettes de filles (Women’s Toilets).
We wanted to liberate women’s voices in one of these rare spaces of social diversity in Morocco. It was interesting to get them to talk amongst themselves while offering them maximum protection,” explains Sonia Terrab, the woman behind the concept and producer of the project (Studio l’Klaam-Meknech Production), which is benefiting from support from FabLabchannel.
In the toilets, in front of the mirror offering a reflection of society, the results are mind-blowing: four minutes of frank discussion. One young woman says that she has been divorced without worrying about potential disapproving looks. Other confidences, this time given anonymously, about a rapist uncle. Heavy silences. Their friends listen.
And interrupt only to say: “We are with you. Tell your story and take back your power!”
Manar Sadki, a former marketing student, who is currently studying media and new media in Turkey, explains: “Ordinary, invisible girls told their difficult, personal stories. We will use the faces and popularity of female influencers on social media to spread the stories via Instagram and TikTok. We hope that the audience will then migrate to streaming platforms to listen to the full audio version (20 min).”
Dialogue with men
Because Toilettes de filles is not aimed solely at girls!
“Our goal is to collect other stories from women, and to establish dialogue with men. Change cannot happen without them!” says Manar. So, a little grooming of public attitudes, thanks to this production, which she sees as an homage to Collectif 490 hors la loi Moroccan Outlaws, whose name is a reference to Article 490 of the Moroccan Criminal Code, which stipulates imprisonment for those who have sexual relations outside of marriage.
Her mother, Bouchra Otmani, who saw a preview showing of the video, advises her daughter to “remain a free spirit of feminist movements,” but enjoys the fact that “women are speaking up for their rights” and that Manar is “showing these bathroom discussions.”
Sonia Terrab is resolutely optimistic about the next stage of this concept, created as part of CFI’s Intajat Jadida project: “The episodes of this series will be a hit! We have started testing it. Everyone thinks it’s original, brave and impactful, with discussions that are both light and very deep.”
With her creative spirit, Manar Sadki is not resting on her laurels and is currently writing a short film on young people in Morocco.