Page 126 - VH Magazine N°187 - Novembre & Décembre 2020

dOLCE VITA I I Portrait

Tarik Jaawani
a talented artist

between two worlds

The Morocco effecT worldwide ! Tarik Jaawani Takes us sTaTeside To show us how
The kingdoM has shaped his sTyle as an arTisT, phoTographer, and cineMaTographer.
«i have always found Myself beTween Two worlds…now i wanT To Tell My sTory».
Par Patrick Ferrity

e sat down with personally bring us along the The country has served as the
Tarik Jaawani-artist, journey of his life, as he sees it, backdrop to many of the most
Wphotographer, and in his own words. incredible experiences of his
cinematographer - for VH Maga- Tarik is a Moroccan-American life. If you were to drop Tarik
zine’s latest segment on Moroc- from Long Island, New York, who anywhere along the Atlantic
co’s influence around the world. grew up in rural Pennsylvania. coast of the Kingdom, he could
At only 21 years of age, Tarik is His father is originally from find his way back home.
an up-and-coming talent, and Casablanca, who traveled to “Every year that I have been on
one to watch for in the future. the United States in the late 80s, this earth, every day I have had
In his mini-documentary “The whilst playing for the Moroccan a beating heart, Morocco has
Kingdom of Morocco”, Tarik gives national basketball team. played a role in every facet of my
a touching tribute to his second “He loved the country so much being. Morocco is my home and
home. In his short film “Hind- that he eventually flew back I miss the country dearly, given
sight”, Tarik provides us with an and set up shop here. That’s that I was unable to travel back
intimate look into his life growing when he met my mother, a 20 this year due to the pandemic
up in rural Pennsylvania. year veteran of the NYPD, who that has gripped the world.”
His works are rooted in his at the time was studying at law After having studied an AAPS in
ability to connect with viewers school. It was my father who media production and obtaining
on a human level. The first thing bought me my first camera, a a specialized diploma in multi-
that you notice about Tarik is that Sony Handycam. I remember media (radio, television, and
he is a natural storyteller. There I would spend hours creating film), Tarik began to shape his
is something very eloquent and stop-motion films, staging craft.
comforting about his voice, elaborate action scenes with “I didn’t want to continue down
which creates a sense of ease Lego.” the path of factory-line media,
when watching his films. It is Tarik speaks fondly of Morocco, I needed to add a personal flair
as if you were talking to an old having visited the country to my work. I needed to show
friend. Tarik uses his talents to every year since he was born. life as I saw it. Film as a field

126 VH magazine Novembre & Décembre 2020