Mohamed Zineddaine was born in the small village of Oued-zem, Morocco. A mediocre pupil as a child, he was seduced by the written word and devoted himself to becoming a great reader. In 1983, he left Morocco to study computer science at the University of Nice. On recognising this was not his passion, he left his schooling and moved to Italy, eventually settling in Bologna, where he began his training as a director. A reporter, photographer, screenwriter, and producer, Zineddaine’s feature-length films include La vecchia ballerina (2002), Réveil (2004), Tu te souviens d’Adil? (2008), Colère (2012), and The Healer (2018).