"The true story of Moroccan writer Mohamed Choukri, who grew up in poverty and illiteracy, with a violent father and a submissive mother who was the family's sole source of support."
Saïd Taghmaoui
as Young Mohamed Choukri
Fayçal Zeghadi
as Mohamed Choukri (13 years old)
Billal Lahsini
as Mohamed Choukri (6 years old)
Karim Benhadj
as Taferseti
Sanaa Alaoui
as Mimouna (Mohamed's mother)
David Halevim
as Haddou (Mohamed's father)
Marzia Tedeschi
as Sallafa (bald woman)
Ahmed El Kouraichi
as Kabil (smuggler)
Jamil Hammoudi
as Ali
Francesca Codispoti
as Harrouda (prostitute)
Giovanna Ria
as Bushra (deaf-mute)
Josè Dell'Abbiato
as The Spaniard
Armando De Razza
as Boualem (cafe owner)
Daniel Ducruet
as Prison guard
Hamid Basket
as Abdelmalek (the scribe)
Mohamed Rachid Benhadj
as Marwani (the revolutionary)
Simona Manganaro
as Assia (girl in the garden)
Sandra Loredana Cristiano
as Prostitute 2
Ilaria De Laurentiis
as Rhimou (Mohamed's little sister)
Aida Ben Barka
as Student
Director
Roberto de Laurentiis
Producer
Gabriele Pacitto
Supervising Producer
Pier Luigi Santi
Director of Photography
Goffredo Gibellini
Original Music Composer
Writer
Mohamed Choukri
Novel