For the first time, Morocco might be among the countries that will be represented in the the 84th edition of the Academy Awards scheduled to be held on February 26.
The Moroccan movie, Omar Killed Me, by Roshdy Zem is among the nine foreign-language movies included in the shortlist that has just been released by the Academy.
Only five films will be nominated in the Foreign Language Film category.
An unjustly convicted man fights for justice in this drama based on a true story. Omar Raddad (Sami Bouajila) had worked for years as a gardener for Ghislaine Marchal (Liliane Nataf), an elderly woman living in the South of France. In the summer of 1991, Marchal was founded murdered in the basement of her home, with the message “Omar M’a Tuer” — literally “Omar Has Kill Me” — written in her own blood on the wall.
Raddad quickly became the prime suspect, even though he had a viable alibi, and he was convicted and sent to prison. However, a journalist covering the case, Pierre-Emmanuel Vaugrenard (Denis Podalydes), had a hard time believing Marchal would scrawl a message about her killer with her last ounce of strength, particularly one that was grammatically incorrect, and he began investigating the case, firm in his belief that Raddad was a victim of racism while the real killer had escaped justice.
Directed by Roschdy Zem, Omar M’a Tuer (Omar Killed Me) received its North American premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
