When she walks towards us, looking casual and not light, wrapped in her flowery dress and smiling at us, we understand, instantly, that her presence is going to be roaring and her strength exhilarating.
And to this particular lady, an equally singular profession.
“What was pure chance has become a passion,” says Khadija Alami Laaroussi, who has made film production her profession, to MAP.
For after “thirty-six years of career”, she reveals, “if I’m still there, it’s because the passion is great!”
Sharing her daily life between Morocco and the United States, she says her interest in production “has grown as the experience has developed”, to the point where it has become “a challenge” and is “the engine” that pushes and propels her.
Khadija Alami Laaroussi describes her beginnings as a “great adventure” and in her eyes, the enthusiasm and ardour that must have animated her in the past and led her towards a profession “that was not at all on my radar”, as she explains so well.
The woman who only knew about cinema from the many films she has watched since she was a child is now at the head of her own production company and her own film studio.
Khadija Alami Laaroussi, who is renowned the world over, from Ouarzazate to Hollywood, approaches her career with great humility and without false modesty.
Her courage as a panther, which she passes on naturally, has allowed her to make her way, thanks to the education she received, with “personality and character”, favouring a professional approach to gender, and thus impose herself in an industry with a strong male dominance.
Although she doesn’t discriminate between men and women in the choice of her projects, a sensitivity towards the latter persists, however, because like all of us, Khadija Alami “hopes” to be one of those women who do things for other women.
“I try to encourage young women not to hesitate to fight for their dreams,” says the producer, who dares to hope that her career “serves and will serve” her daughter and all women too.
And in the era of the #Metoo and #Timesup movements that have shaken up the film industry, Khadija Alami is aware of the importance of gaining or restoring the confidence of those who have lost it.
“We assure the team that we, the managers, are and will always be listening and that they should never hesitate to talk to us at the slightest incident,” she says, noting that she practices an “open door policy” to ensure accessibility at all times.
Acquainted with the idea that “neither men nor women” should be allowed to belittle and discourage young girls who wish to pursue their dreams and ambitions, Khadija Alami wisely reflects on her determination without which she would not be where she is today.
“If I’d listened to anyone, I wouldn’t have done anything at all,” she says, based on her personal experience, “whereas the fact that I started these studios is what opened the door to the Oscar Academy for me.
“I have no regrets, everything I’ve done so far, I assume,” Khadija Alami Laaroussi concludes, referring to her career, “there have been many things that have happened by chance and that I’ve discovered throughout my life, but if after 36 years I’m still here, it’s because I like what I do!”.
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