Masquerades

	Masquerades won the top prize for best film at the Dubai Film Festival, the first of many huzzahs for this confident crowd-pleaser. Director Lyes Salem stars as Mounir, the pop-eyed, misguided head of a small but troubled family in a remote and dusty Algerian village. No-one takes Mounir seriously, not his family or the village, so it's remarkable when his drunken plan to marry off his narcoleptic sister to a rich yet non-existent foreigner is taken seriously but less surprising when his deception spins out of control. Salem, in his debut feature, has crafted a tightly scripted, paced comedy about customs and traditions that features a delightfully comic performance from the multi-talented Salem. ‘Undoubtedly, Masquerades marks Salem out as a talent we'll certainly be seeing more of; and if his next work is as genial as this, the pleasure will be all ours.' Screen International ‘Lyes Salem can deftly script and direct everyday physical comedy but it's the human story and depth of characterization running through Masquerades that makes it an outstandingly warm, astute film.' Edinburgh Film Festival .

Title	Masquerades	Country	Algeria, France
Original Title	Mascarades	Language	Arabic
Directed by	Lyes Salam	Running time	92 mins.
Screenwriter	Lyes Salem and Nathalie Saugeon	Rating	PG
Produced by	Dharamasala, Yacine Laloui, Isabelle Madeline	Genre	Comedy, Drama
Cast	Sarah Reguieg, Lyes Salem, Rym Takoucht	Distributor	Aztec International