Evoking the spirit of Scheherezade from ‘1001 Nights’, Benlyazid’s film focuses on a beautiful merchant’s daughter, Lalla Aicha, with whom the king’s son falls in love. Their verbal sparring centres around one question: whether men are cleverer than women. Aicha refuses to concede her point, even when locked up in a cellar until she changes her mind. Instead she devotes her time to playing tricks on the prince. An enjoyable slice of arabesque with a feminist twist.

Morocco-Switzerland-Tunisia-France 1999/Dir Farida Benlyazid.
With Samira Akariou, Rachid el Ouali.
90 mins.