Movie - I see the stars at noon

Saeed Taji Farouky, England, Morocco, 2005

synopsis

In January 2004, in the northern Moroccan city of Tangiers, first-time documentary filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky met a Moroccan named Abdelfattah. He was a clandestine, one of many Africans who try to cross the narrow Straits of Gibraltar and illegally enter Spain by stowing away on cargo ships or boarding inflatable rafts.

Taji Farouky offers a unique and revealing insight into Abdelfattah’s desperate attempt to reach Europe. At times humorous and disturbing, it intimately examines the circumstances that lead him to risk everything for an utterly uncertain future. But I see the stars at noon is also an exploration of the nature of documentary filmmaking and objectivity.

The traditional relationship between filmmaker and subject is thrown into question when Abdelfattah asks why his life is being filmed for the benefit of European audiences, and what he deserves in return. By addressing such issues head-on, Taji Farouky stands out as a highly original and deeply personal look at the dilemma of illegal immigrants.