What is Carmen Maura doing starring in the film representing Morocco at the Oscars?

Actress Carmen Maura could walk the Oscars red carpet. However, it won't be with a Spanish film but with a Moroccan one (although it also has a small Spanish contribution). The film Calle Málaga , by Tangier-born Maryam Touzani (1980), in which she plays the leading role, has been chosen by the Moroccan Film Center to represent the North African country at the 2026 Oscars gala . It remains to be seen whether the American academy will ultimately select the film for the final shortlist—it would also be a first for Morocco—but the first step has already been taken.

Calle Málaga , which will be released in Spanish cinemas in early 2026, tells the story of a 79-year-old Spanish woman, the daughter of exiles during the Civil War , who has lived her entire life in Tangier and finds that her daughter (also Spanish, Marta Etura ), who is experiencing financial difficulties, wants to sell her apartment in the Moroccan port city. And she doesn't plan to stop there. At the same time, she also begins a romance with an antique dealer. It's a simple and pleasant story, according to critics, which has already provoked smiles and applause at various international events (which doesn't put it in a bad position for the great universal film festival).

It premiered at the Venice Film Festival to somewhat above-average reviews. And now it's just been shown at the Toronto Film Festival on a positive note. It's not a great film, but, for example, Variety , the Hollywood bible, praised its good craftsmanship despite its simplicity and lightness. And it applauds Maura's performance: "The veteran Spaniard is a delight as a lifelong resident of Tangier forced to leave her home in Maryam Touzani's film, with a gentle, audience-pleasing atmosphere." In fact, the actress also has a strong chance of being among the actresses nominated for the Spanish Goya Awards (she already has four out of a total of six nominations, the last in 2006 for Volver , for which she won).

A fresh face in Moroccan cinema

"The commission's decision was based on the film's subject matter, its technical and artistic qualities, as well as the distribution possibilities it offers," stated the Moroccan Film Center in its statement announcing the selection of Calle Málaga . Without a doubt, it's a film that, beyond its festival run, boasts a number of elements that put it in a strong position for international success.

The director is Maryam Touzani, who currently represents a modern, cosmopolitan, and universal Moroccan cinema . The author of several documentaries on prostitution and child labor, her three feature films, Adam (2019), about the pregnancies of single women in her country, The Blue Caftan (2022), about homosexuality in Morocco, and now Malaga Street, have been Moroccan submissions for the Oscars. Touzani, who studied journalism in London and for a time worked in cultural journalism, has premiered all her films in Cannes or Venice. Right now, she is the freshest face of the Alawite regime , a symbol of a country that wants to be present at Western cultural events.

Furthermore, together with her husband, filmmaker Nabil Ayouch , who founded the production company Ali n' Productions in 1999 (which is also responsible for producing this film), she forms one of the most powerful couples in the Moroccan audiovisual world (and with strong connections in France).

Calle Málaga 's relationship with Spain is also significant. The Spanish production is being handled by MOD Producciones, the production company of Fernando Bovaira , producer of films by Alejandro Amenábar, some by Julio Medem , Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and José Luis Cuerda. It will be distributed in 20 countries by Caramel Films.

Carmen Maura could walk the red carpet, and she'd be doing it in her first nude film. At this point, the actress told EFE at the Toronto Film Festival that she doesn't care anymore.

“It's the first time, because, curiously, it's never happened to me before. I've done comedies and everything, but I've never done anything more than being in bed with Resines [the actor Antonio Resines , with whom she appeared in 1985 in Sé infiel y no mires a quién ]. You can imagine. And I've never even undressed, for example,” she stated. According to her, it's something she's less afraid of with age. “It's something that maybe four years ago I would have said no to. Well, not four, four years ago I would have said yes, but maybe at another time I would have said no . But now I don't care,” the agency reports.

Maura: "Maybe at another time I would have said no. But now I don't care."

The director, for her part, assured that it wasn't difficult to convince Maura to strip off in front of the camera. "I told her honestly how I imagined the scenes, how I was going to shoot them, and, above all, that the important thing for me was above all to show the beauty of these aging bodies. Carmen understood exactly why I wanted to shoot these scenes, that it wasn't a vain thing," she explained. "Getting naked at almost 80 years old is something that requires a lot of character, a lot of strength, because it means you allow the other person to see you in all your fragility. I think it's a very beautiful thing that Carmen has done ," she added.

Almost 80 years old, on the way to the Oscars, and a nude scene. Maura can reinvent herself all she wants .