Moroccan Islamist Party Demands Ban on LGBTQ-Themed Film ’The Blue Caftan’

"The General Secretariat condemns the authorization of a film that promotes homosexuality to be screened in Moroccan cinemas, in serious violation of the religious, national and moral values of the Moroccan Muslim people," the Islamist party said in a statement released on Friday.

The film’s director, Maryam Touzani, her husband and producer Nabil Ayouch, as well as various personalities including King Mohammed VI’s chief advisor, Andre Azoulay, attended the film’s premiere on June 4 at the Atlas Cinema in Rabat.

"The Blue Caftan" addresses homosexuality, a controversial subject in the kingdom. It tells the story of Halim, married to Mina, but who ends up revealing his homosexuality after the recruitment of a young apprentice named Youssef in the couple’s traditional caftan shop, located in the old medina of Salé.

"The Blue Caftan" has already won several international awards, including the International Critics’ Prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. The PJD calls on the Moroccan authorities to ban its screening, based on the May 2015 legislation that had been cited to ban the screening of Ayouch’s film "Much Loved".