Moroccan Immigrant’s Journey from Stowaway to Actor Inspires Spanish Film

14.4. This is the title of the short film in which Ahmed Younoussi plays his own role. The film tells his story, that of a 9-year-old boy who traveled from Morocco to Spain under a truck. The actor who had been selected for this role did not show up and Ahmed had the chance of his life. Director Sergio Peris-Mencheta, surprised by the young man’s innate acting talent, decided to make a play about Ahmed’s life.

This is how the Moroccan, on the recommendations of the director, tells his story to actor Juan Diego Botto. "I sat down with Ahmed, he told me his life and I started writing and we came to this story, which is my text, but it’s Sergio’s vision and Ahmed’s life. The three parts are essential," Diego confides to El Español, specifying that "the play is written with irony and humor," as requested by Ahmed who did not want to appear "pitiful."

Ahmed left Tangier, Morocco for Spain under a truck. Once in the Iberian peninsula, he was placed in a center for minors. There, he had the chance to learn Spanish and go to school. Very intelligent, he got good grades. Today, the young man has started a family and earns a living as an actor. A profession he did not imagine practicing when he was in Morocco.

The theater play inspired by Ahmed’s true story addresses the issue of immigration in a particular way. "The best way to understand certain phenomena is not to dehumanize them, not to see them as mythological monsters that come to attack our children and disturb our social peace. Ahmed’s story can help some viewers see things from a different angle," comments Botto.