Soufiane Kinani's moving story

What was the inspiration behind Moving Between Spaces and how did you come to direct it?

At first, I was approached by Sophie Warmenhoven, the film's producer, who felt I would be a great fit for both the brief and the story. After reading the brief and speaking with ASICS and Void, the creative agency behind the project, I immediately felt a personal connection to both the concept and the people involved. It reflected themes I've been exploring throughout both my work and my own life, so saying yes felt like a very natural decision.

I'm always drawn to stories rooted in authentic human experiences, and I strive to tell them in a way that feels honest.

Moving Between Spaces started with a simple but meaningful idea: that identity is rarely fixed. Many of us move between different cultures, communities, and expectations throughout our lives, constantly adapting without ever fully belonging to just one world. Growing up between Moroccan and Dutch cultures, that feeling has always been deeply personal to me. That's why we chose to tell the story of three brothers, each finding their own way of moving between different spaces while remaining deeply connected to one another and to the father figure. Through his love for the boys, along with the wisdom that comes with age and experience, he ultimately guides them toward finding that balance.

As a director, I'm always drawn to stories rooted in authentic human experiences, and I strive to tell them in a way that feels honest, emotionally grounded, and true to the people they represent.

Above: Kinani's Gold Screen-winning film, Moving Between Spaces. 

What's your background and your route into directing? 

I didn't come into directing through film school, my route was quite different. Before becoming a director, I worked as a creative at two of the most influential music labels in the Netherlands, Top Notch and Noah's Ark, where I collaborated closely with artists to develop creative concepts and shape their visual identities.

[Filmmaking] brings together story, image, music, performance, production design and rhythm: every creative choice becomes part of the storytelling.

Naturally, that also meant working on music videos. At first, my role focused on developing ideas, writing creative briefs and working alongside directors. But, over time, I found myself wanting to become more involved in the filmmaking process. I wanted to be on set, making creative decisions and seeing what happened when an idea came to life.

Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to direct my first project. As intimidating as that first day on set was, something immediately clicked. It felt as though I'd found the thing I was always meant to do. Looking back, I realised that what has always driven me is storytelling. I've expressed that in different ways throughout my career, but filmmaking turned out to be the richest medium for me. It brings together story, image, music, performance, production design and rhythm: every creative choice becomes part of the storytelling.

Since then, I've continued directing music videos while gradually expanding into commercial and narrative work. With every project, I'm trying to tell richer, more human stories, and that's still what excites me most as a director.

Above: Director Soufiane Kinani, whose film won a YDA Gold Screen in the Branded Content category. 

Where did you find the cast, and how hard was it to find the right people for the film?

Casting was one of the most important parts of this project because the story relied so heavily on authenticity and nuance. Gem Fernández Zapateiro, my art lead, played a crucial role in the casting process. She brought in the majority of our lead cast who she knew from previous projects, Dutch-Moroccan actors who are primarily known for their work in film and theatre, and who rarely take on commercial projects. What really drew them in was the story itself. They connected deeply with its themes of identity and belonging, and I think the fact that the project was being directed by a Moroccan filmmaker also helped create that sense of trust.

Casting was one of the most important parts of this project because the story relied so heavily on authenticity and nuance.

At the same time, I brought in a few people I knew from the music world whose energy I could already see in the characters while writing the script. They weren't traditional actors, but they brought a lived authenticity that couldn't be taught. That combination of experienced actors and artists from my own world created something very special. Together, they found a natural rhythm that made every relationship on screen feel honest.

Can you tell us about the choice of music, both at the start of the film, and at the end? 

Music was incredibly important to me, probably because of my own roots in the music industry. I actually started working on the music with the very talented producer Jonathan Maridjan way before the first day of the shoot. So, it wasn't an afterthought. It was built into the storytelling from the beginning. 

I wanted the score to mirror the balance between tradition and modern life. The early parts use traditional North African strings, playful, improvisational, carrying a sense of uncertainty that echoed the brothers' journey. Percussion then comes in more strongly, pushing the story forward. It's such an essential force in North African music. When the brothers reach the coffeehouse, everything strips back. That felt like the heart of the film. 

And, for the climax, we worked with vocals inspired by southern Moroccan chants, hypnotic and trance-like, but reimagined them within a modern track. It became a meeting point between heritage and the present, just like the film itself. 

Above: Kinani on set for the film. 

You've worked a lot in music videos; what did that teach you, and did you bring some of that sensibility to this project?  

Music videos were my film school. Usually working with limited resources, you learn to tell stories through image, sound, and rhythm, often with little or no dialogue to explain things. Every frame has to carry meaning. So, when I came to Moving Between Spaces, that experience gave me the confidence to let the visuals do the talking. With very little dialogue in the film, I relied on the language of images, movement, and music to communicate the emotional journey. 

How long did it take you to make the film, and what was the most challenging aspect of its creation? 

The whole process, from our first conversations to final delivery, took a few months, with the actual shoot being two days. A big challenge was finding that balance between making a branded film and telling a story that felt genuinely human. We wanted to create something cinematic and honest, giving the characters room to breathe through silences and small moments, which isn't always typical in commercial work. 

On a personal level, because this story is close to my own background, every cultural reference carried weight.

I was lucky that both ASICS and Void embraced that from the beginning and trusted us to tell something more nuanced. On a personal level, because this story is close to my own background, every cultural reference carried weight. From casting to music to production design, even down to the cups in the cafe or the lamps on the ceiling. Strangely, telling something that close to home brought a different kind of pressure, but I think that responsibility made us pay attention to the details and ultimately made the film stronger.