Waiting for Magic

Directed by Belouali Maryam

Some secrets won’t stay buried.

In Waiting for Magic, the isolated villagers of Taourirt prepare for the Muslim Conclave of the Nine—a secretive ritual held once a generation to commune with the Bean Sídhe (banshee), a spirit said to guard the island from ruin. The conclave’s purpose: to select a new Guardian who will bear the banshee’s curse, ensuring the village’s survival. But this year, eerie omens disrupt the ritual—a phantom wail echoes nightly, crops wither, and villagers vanish into the bog.