Variety : ‘Ziyara’ Director Simone Bitton Looks for Morocco’s Forgotten Jewish Heritage

Simone Bitton, a Paris-based, French-Moroccan director whose work has primarily concentrated on the history and cultures of North Africa and the Middle East, made her debut in the Masters section at IDFA—arguably the most prestigious of the documentary festival’s strands—with the world premiere of “Ziyara.” The film also screens in the International Panorama section of the Cairo Film Festival, which runs Dec. 2-10.

Bitton herself has mixed feelings about the IDFA accolade, as she makes quite clear. “I don’t consider myself a master,” she says. “I know that I have some kind of experience and maybe my experience is a little particular, but to be a master, I’m not sure I like it. It puts you in a category, it labels you: ‘That’s it—that’s what she’s doing’—and I hope to do more films and maybe different films. Nonetheless, I take it as an honor.”…

Full article : https://variety.com/2020/film/global/idfa-ziyara-simone-bitton-1234841062/