The film "Birdland" by director Leila Kilani has been selected for the official competition of the 52nd International Film Festival in Rotterdam, from 25 January to 5 February.
Synopsis: in the hills of Tangier, in the middle of the forest, stands a house: La Mansouria. Lina lives there with her father Anis, her grandmother Amina, and their maid Chinwiya. Father and daughter have a passion for birds. Amina pushes her family to accept a real estate offer that will make them all billionaires. Anis refuses to sell and renounces his right to the property. He wants to give his share to the birds for eternity. Suddenly, a fire breaks out in the hills and a shower of birds falls on the forest. The sale turns out to be more complicated than expected.
Leila Kilani was born in Casablanca. As a freelance journalist, she made a documentary entitled "Tangier, le rêve des brûleurs" about young illegal immigrants. In 2011, she directed her first feature film, "Sur la planche", which tells the story of four female workers in Tangier who are ready to do anything to escape their condition. It was shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.
The Rotterdam International Film Festival was founded in 1972. For twelve days, hundreds of filmmakers present their films to large audiences in the city's cinemas. The festival's grand prize is the Golden Tiger.