Born in Morocco in 1963, Ali Essafi studied psychology in France, then entered the world of filmmaking. His films include General, Here We Come! (Général, Nous Voilà !), The Silence of the Beet Fields (Le Silence des Champs de Betterave), Ouarzazate Movie and Shikhat’s Blues which have been widely screened on the international circuit including the MoMA (2011) and Triennale de Paris (2012).

Returning to Morocco in 2002, he worked as an art director advisor to the Moroccan public television channel. In parallel of this he embarked on lengthy research on the north-african film & visual archives leading to new films (Sharjah Art Biennial 2011, Berlinale), installations (Dakar Art Biennale 2014), and publications (Germany; France; Austria, Morocco…). His latest archives films were premiered at the Berlinale in 2017 (Crossing the Seventh Gate)  and at IDFA in 2020 (Before the Dying of the Light).

Ali Essafi works as a filmmaker, visual artist, and curator. He is a member of various Art & films institutes including the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Science.