In the hills of Northern Morocco, an ancient, male-dominated equestrian ritual becomes the unlikely stage for one woman’s revolution.

Zhora is the only woman to have ever competed in Mata — an 800-year-old race once designed to win the hand of a bride. Now, they race against her. This intimate and visually arresting documentary follows Zhora Sidki, a horsewoman from a humble village, as she challenges deeply rooted gender roles, patriarchal expectations, and the spiritual weight of tradition, all from the saddle of her horse.

For Zhora, riding is more than sport — it’s defiance, identity, and liberation. What began as rebellion has become legacy.

Shot with unprecedented access to the Mata Festival and the Baraka family — direct descendants of the Sufi saint who brought the tradition to Morocco — Zhora is a raw and cinematic portrait of courage, conflict, and change, from a country where the fight for women’s voices is still unfolding.

Produced by Cinexin Studios and CABN Collective

Shot in Tangier, Zniyed, Larache & Asilah

www.cinexinstudios.com