Tuesday, March 10, 2026

A Whole Jil Jilala Feature Film?

Well I just stumbled across a whole dramatic film starring Jil Jilala as a band called Jil Jilala! The film "Le Paradis des Pauvres جنة الفقراء", directed by Imane Mesbahi, was released in 2001 or 2002, but it appears to have been filmed much earlier. Mustapha Baqbou is in the film and looks very young (and thin), but the songs featured are studio recordings from before Baqbou's tenure, including two from the Daouiwah album (1984). Baqbou joined the group around 1985, so I'm guessing this may have been filmed around that time.

The leading role is played by group member Moulay Tahar Al Asbahani, and Mohamed Derham is featured prominently in several scenes, in which he acquits himself quite well as an actor. The film also features the well-known Moroccan actress Touria Jabrane. You can watch the whole film on YouTube. It is in French and Moroccan darija, but there are no subtitles.

The film includes lip-synced performances of Jil Jilala's songs "Dak Bya Amrak", "Ah Ya Jilala", "Al Âar A Bouya", and "Daouiwah". It also features incidental music composed and performed by chaâbi/rai star Hamid Bouchenak, and a solo performance by Baqbou of the Gnawa song "Berrma Nana Soutanbi" that appears to have been recorded live for the film (though the synchronization in the YouTube version of the film is a little bit off). If you go to the YouTube page where the film has been uploaded, you can find my comment which contains time code links to the various musical pieces in the film.

Centre Cinématographique Marocain describes the film as:

"the story of five young Moroccans who leave their village in northern Morocco to go work somewhere in Europe. Despite their good intentions, they are confronted daily with racial hatred and xenophobia."

The Wikipedia page for the film claims (without attribution) that it was unsuccessful when released due to poor distribution and an ill-chosen release date. I'm no film expert, but it definitely feels to me like a 1980s film rather than a 2000s film, so that can't have helped its fate in 2001. It's not what I'd call a brilliant film, but it's fun to see these legendary musicians in a different setting (and in swell leather jackets)!