Moroccan Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Animalia’ Trailer About an Alien Encounter

by Alex Billington June 14, 2024Source: YouTube

“Don’t let fear stop you.” Dark Star Pictures has revealed the official US trailer for an impressive indie sci-fi mystery thriller titled Animalia, a French-Moroccan production about a pregnant woman in Morocco. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival last year and it also played at plenty of other major festivals throughout 2023, including Vancouver and London. The film won a Sundance New Vision award and brings “the arrival of a new, freshly original cinematic voice” in French-Moroccan director Sofia Alaoui. As she nears the end of her pregnancy, Itto and her in-laws find their lives changed by a supernatural event. A story about a woman who discoverers emancipation when aliens arrive in Morocco. That’s the big pitch, though there’s also an intriguing psychological thriller angle to this story as well. Starring Oumaïma Barid as Itto, Mehdi Dehbi, Fouad Oughaou, and Souad Khouyi. It’s arriving on VOD to watch next week if anyone is curious to give this a look. I dig the grandiose sci-fi vibes of this, definitely on my radar to watch.

Here’s the official US trailer (+ two posters) for Sofia Alaoui’s film Animalia, direct from YouTube:

Animalia Film Poster

Itto (Oumaima Barid), a young woman from a modest background, has quickly adapted to the Moroccan privileged codes of her husband’s wealthy family. But when supernatural events put the country in a state of emergency, Itto finds herself separated from her husband and new family. Alone, pregnant and looking for her way back, she finds emancipation. Animalia is written and directed by French-Moroccan filmmaker Sofia Alaoui, making her feature directorial debut after a few other short films previously, plus a segment of the Bite Size Halloween series. Produced by Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral, Margaux Lorier. This first premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, with screenings at the San Francisco, Munich, Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, Vancouver, and London Film Fests as well. Dark Star Pics will debut Alaoui’s Animalia in select US theaters on June 7th, 2024, then on VOD starting June 18th this month. Anyone want to watch this?