Filmmaker Spotlight
RABII
Directed by Zakaria Kharrat
This short film is about an 18-year-old boy named "RABII" (an Arabic name meaning Spring) who has never seen his mother in real life, making dreams his only refuge.
About the Film
The subject of this film is classified among the unprecedented taboos of our society, personified by 'RABII', a child born in a brothel—or rather, not even there, since his mother dumps him in a trash can at the very dawn of his birth. The film's story chronicles the life of RABII from the age of 18. The latter spent his life... searching... observing the daily lives of others, and how they treated him, resulting in 'too many whys without a because'.Consequently, RABII searches for his origins in his dreams, attempting to project his own situation onto that of a cat he encounters every day at the dump. After so many dreams and interpretations, RABII realizes that his mother threw him into a garbage can... but despite this, RABII will not hate his mother, but rather his society—the people he meets who represent an obstacle for him to live in peace.
- Runtime
- 12 min
- Category
- Short Film
- Country
- Morocco
- Year
- 2025
- Language
- Arabic
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9
Stills
Zakaria Kharrat
Zakaria Kharrat is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist, born on June 1, 1988. He holds a degree in Film and Audiovisual Studies from Abdelmalek Essaadi University and trained in special effects and editing at the Institut des Métiers du Cinéma in Ouarzazate, Morocco.
Active in the film industry for more than a decade, he has written and directed several projects, including the short film Le Destin Clos, the documentary Horizon, and his latest short film, RABII. A dedicated trainer, he leads filmmaking and media literacy workshops, sharing his passion with younger generations...
Credits
- Directed by
- Zakaria Kharrat
- Written by
- Zakaria KHARRAT
- Produced by
- Mohamed KHARRAT and Hassan MAANANY
- Production company
- LWACHONE
- Cinematography
- Salmane DAHIOUI and Hamza MARNISSI
- Editing
- Zakaria KHARRAT
- Sound
- Moad DRIHMI
- Music
- Moad DRIHMI
- Principal cast
- Youssef Berzegane, Fatima Boujou, Mohamed Hmimsa, Chafiq Bisbis, Tahar Khabbiza
— Festival history
Grand Prize at the Cinema of Women and Children Festival in Mechraa Bel Ksiri, Morocco. Jury Prize at the “Amam” Cinema and Human Rights Festival in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Grand Prize and Best Actress Award at the International “Cinema for All” Festival in Tiznit, Morocco. Grand Prize and Best Short Film Award for Film Clubs at the Sidi Kacem Moroccan Short Film Festival. Best Screenplay Award and Best Actor Award at the Kasbah Short Film Festival in Ouarzazate, Morocco. Jury Prize at the “Cinema Café” Festival in Fez, Morocco. Audience Award at the Cinema of Peoples Festival in Imouzzer Kandar, Morocco. Grand Prize and Best Screenplay Award at the National Federation of Film Clubs in Morocco Festival in Meknes. Jury Prize at the National Film Festival in Fez, Morocco. Selected for the “Panorama” section of the National Film Festival in Tangier, Morocco. Honorable Mention at the “Films That Move” Festival in Jamaica. Finalist at the Luleå International Film Festival in Sweden. Official selections at other international film festivals in Germany, Italy, France, and elsewhere. Best International Short Film Award at the Montpellier Independent Film Festival, March 2026, France. Best International Short Film Award at the Haryana International Film Festival, India.
RABII is part of the Official Selection of the BIUFF Founding Edition 2026 — 75 films from 32 countries. See the full programme.