PIFF | Visualizing the Unfilmable: A Unique Film Experience

What happens when the ancient oral storytelling art of Moroccan master Mohammed Mrabet meets the latest technology? This program is part of the Film & Talent Industry Day. The documentary 'Mohammed & Paul – Once Upon a Time in Tangier', which had its world premiere at IDFA 2025, follows director Nordin Lasfar and cinematographer/AI artist Jean Counet as they explore the complex friendship between Mrabet and American writer Paul Bowles. Bowles translated Mrabet's cassette-recorded stories for Western readers, raising questions about creative collaboration versus colonial exploitation in 1950s Tangier. By combining three decades of cinematographic experience with generative AI, the filmmakers visualize Mrabet's magical, intimate, and abstract stories—such as talking fish or palaces in melons—without using traditional reconstructions. In this case study, they reveal their hybrid workflow and reflect on using AI, not as a gimmick, but as an essential tool to preserve soul and authenticity while bringing unseen inner worlds to life.