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In the ever-expanding world of visual storytelling, there are creators who don’t just document — they translate emotions into windows of experience. One of those rare voices is Ismail Riahi, known artistically as ORA. A Moroccan filmmaker and photographer, ORA’s work carries a raw, cinematic energy that goes far beyond simple imagery. His art invites us to feel, to step inside liminal spaces that hover between memory, reality, and imagination.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” Ismail reflects — a quote that encapsulates his journey as both a filmmaker and photographer. For him, storytelling is not a career choice but a lifelong calling. His path began long before he ever picked up a camera. At just nine years old, he filled diaries with handwritten scenarios, experimenting with narratives and imagining scenes that might one day become films. Then, at sixteen, he had a realization: those stories could live not only on the page but on screen. “I realized that I can turn those scenarios into movies,” he recalls — a turning point that set the stage for his future.
By the age of nineteen, Ismail had already achieved what many only dream of: he made his first film and won his first national festival. That early recognition didn’t just validate his talent; it ignited the belief that his voice mattered and his visions could resonate far beyond himself.
ORA’s style is as unique as his journey.
His films and images exist in what he describes as liminal spaces — environments that feel in-between, neither here nor there, evoking emotions of longing, transition, and reflection. “My style is more like liminal space related,” he explains. “I want my videos to reflect how I feel, to make people feel the video, not just watch it.” This approach allows his work to strike at something deeper than surface visuals; it enters the subconscious, touching viewers with atmospheres that linger long after the screen goes dark.
Inspiration for ORA is often sparked by sound. “My inspiration is new music. When I discover new songs, I just create new stuff nonstop,” he shares. Music is his catalyst, opening portals into new worlds of expression. But beyond sound, he also draws from creators like Schyguy and Natalie Lynn, whose experimental approaches push him to explore his own edges.
Among ORA’s many works, one stands out with particular emotional power. Titled “Limitless”, the frame reflects what he describes as the endless fight between past and present. In it, the present is depicted as chasing after the past, but never reaching it. At one point in the video, two hands stretch toward each other, trying desperately to connect. Yet no matter how close they get, they can never touch. The image is haunting, symbolic, and deeply human — a reminder of the distance we all carry between memory and reality, longing and acceptance.
This raw honesty is what makes Ismail Riahi’s work resonate so deeply.
He doesn’t just want to impress audiences with beautiful visuals — he wants to open a window into his soul. “I want people to feel like it’s a window to my soul,” he explains. “They reflect me as a person.” Each film, each photograph, is not simply an artwork but a reflection of who he is at that moment in time.
Through ORA’s lens, art becomes an extension of identity. His visuals are not polished for perfection but layered with vulnerability, sound, memory, and emotion. They remind us that creativity is not about hiding imperfections but embracing them, using them to tell stories that matter.
From a young boy writing scenarios in his diary, to a nineteen-year-old filmmaker winning a national festival, to a creative force shaping liminal cinematic spaces, Ismail Riahi’s journey is proof that vision, when pursued with honesty, becomes destiny. His future is not just about creating more films and photos — it’s about continuing to build bridges between his inner world and ours, inviting audiences to see themselves in the fragments of his light.
And for Iconner, ORA represents exactly what makes art unforgettable:
authenticity, emotion, and the courage to tell stories that reflect not only himself but the endless narratives waiting in all of us.
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