Moroccan and French Film Director, Screenwriter, Photo Director, Sound Engineer, Editor and Producer.

Simone BITTON is a director, screenwriter, cinematographer, sound recordist, editor and producer.
She is known for "Ziyara" (2020), "Rachel" (2009), "Wall (Mur)"(2004), "Ben Barka, the Moroccan equation"(2001), "Mahmoud Darwich: As the Land is the Language" (1997) and "Palestine: story of a land" (1993).

Simone Bitton was born in Rabat (Morocco) in 1955. She pursued film studies in France, graduating from IDHEC in 1980. She has dual Franco-Moroccan nationality and lives between Rabat and Paris.
Simone has directed two feature-length documentaries distributed in movie theatres across France and in a dozen other countries: WALL, in 2004, and RACHEL, in 2009.
Previously, she made more than fifteen documentary films for television (see attached filmography). With styles ranging from archival montage to cinematic meditation by way of the personal quest or portrait of a writer or musician, her films reflect a human and professional commitment to better understanding current events, history, and the cultures of North Africa and the Middle East. Her commitment is also one of strict rigor, artistic ambition, and confident personal perspective.
Since 2014, she has worked as an associate professor in the film studies department of the University of Paris 8 (Vincennes-Saint- Denis). She regularly teaches courses and gives documentary workshops in various institutions in France and in Morroco.

FILMOGRAPHY

2008
Rachel - 95'
- Produced by Cine-Sud Promotion
Berlinale Forum - Tribeca Film Festival New York - Cinema du Reel Paris - Hotdocs Toronto - Bafici Buenos Aires Sarajevo film Festival

2004
Wall (Mur) - 95'
- Produced by Cine-Sud Promotion
Director's Fortnight, Cannes 2004 - Sundance Film Festival 2005 (Jury's special Prize, World documentary competition) - Jerusalem International Film Festival (Spirit of Freedom Award for best Documentary)

2003
Ramallah Daily - Series 20 x 5' - collective directing
- Produced by Channel Four and Article Z.

2001
Ben Barka: the Moroccan Equation - 84'
- Produced by Article Z, Arte and RTBF.

1998
The Bombing - 58'
- Produced by Cinétévé, France 2, RTBF, Noga Communications

1997
Mahmoud Darwich: As the Land is the Language - 58'
- Produced by Point du Jour and France 3.

1993
Palestine: Story of a Land - 110' - Produced by Point Du Jour, France 3 and INA.

1993
Daney/Sanbar: North-South Conversation - 47'

1990
Great Voices of Arabic Music - 180' & 3 x 55'
Portraits of Oum Kalsoum, Mohamed Abdelwahab & Farid Al-Atrache.

OTHER FILMOGRAPHY
1981 /// Solange Giraud, née Tache (documentary, short)
1982 /// Nos mères de Méditerranée (documentary)
1993 /// Daney / Sanbar (documentary)
1998 /// Mahmoud Darwich : Et la terre, comme la Langue (documentary, Israel / France)
1999 /// Pigu'a (documentary, France / Belgium)
2000 /// L'attentat (The Bombing) (documentary, France / Israel / Belgium)
2000 /// L'attentat (The Bombing) (documentary, France / Israel / Belgium)
2001 /// Ben Barka, l'Équation marocaine (documentary)
2004 /// Le Mur (Feature documentary, France / Israel)
2009 /// "Rachel" (documentary, France / Israel)
2020 /// "Ziyara" (documentary, France / Morocco)

TELEVISION FILMOGRAPHY
1981 /// Nissim et Cherie (documentary)
1982 /// Jean-Jacques (documentary, short)
1983 /// La Réunion entre deux Guerres (documentary)
1986 /// La Vie devant elles (documentary)
1987 /// Chouf le Look (documentary)
1990 /// "Les Grandes Voix de la musique arabe" (3 x 55', documentary)
1993 /// "Palestine : histoire d'une terre" (2 x 55', documentary)
1994 /// Arafat au quotidien (documentary, short)
2001 /// "Citizen Bishara"
2003 /// "Ramallah Dailies - Series 20 x 5' - collective directing

Source:
www.thepartysales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PressKit_Ziyara.pdf
Philippe Rège, "Encyclopedia of French Film Directors", Volume 1. Scarecrow Press, 11 Dec. 2009 (p. 106)
updated by Thierno Dia, on 22 Dec 2021.