Canneseries Contender ‘Boho’ Encourages Women to Dream and to Dance

It’s never too late to dream – at least according to the gospel of “Boho.”

In the show, presented at Canneseries, Kima, her sister Nawal and their friend Alex navigate societal pressures. Kima’s family claims she should finally settle down. Instead, she rediscovers her love of dancing. 

“I’m a huge dreamer, too. Even more so now,” says creator Abbie Boutkabout. Director Olympia Allaert agrees:  “When life gets serious, you forget about your dreams or push them aside. But this show really, really encourages dreaming. Especially when it comes to women,” she insists.

“Not all women want the same things. Not all women want a steady job, a house and three kids. Kima wonders: ‘What did I want when I was a little girl? Oh yes, I used to love dancing.’ It opens up a new world for her.”

The show, sold internationally by Banijay Rights and currently available on Streamz, doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. But it still keeps things funny.

“You can talk about something serious with a bit of laughter and light-heartedness. That’s what I do with my friends in real life as well. I wanted to write something that has heart,” Boutkabout tells Variety. 

Allaert adds: “When something bad happens, you can make a joke about it. Kima gets fired and she has no connection with her mum. I think everyone has gone through something like that. The way these actresses portray it makes it really tangible. It’s as if you’re there with them.”

Serine Ayari, Ikram Aoulad and Miss Angel star. At first, one of the main characters was supposed to be white. 

“We asked ourselves: ‘Do we really need that?’ The power of this show is that you see three friends – that’s it. We’re not focusing on their differences; we’re focusing on who they are,” says Helen Perquy, producing for jonnydepony. 

Boutkabout says: “I watch a lot of films and a lot of television, but I’ve never seen main characters who look like me, talk like me or have the same family issues.”

“There are so many of us, and we don’t recognize ourselves in the fiction that’s created. Riz Ahmed gave this amazing speech about why it’s important for our stories to be written by us, too. In the end, it’s about how we’re perceived. Are we seen as human, or are we seen as less than the white characters?”

She also wanted to celebrate an “imperfect” female character in Kima. 

“I’m someone who doesn’t really act her age. I’m in my 40s and I’m the messiest person I know. I love messy women. I adore them,” she laughs. 

“I’m also the daughter of immigrants and our parents still think of us in a certain way. They came to this country, so we have to do even better. We have to be perfect. For our parents, and for this country we were born into but which still thinks of us as just passing through.”

Allaert notes: “By the time you’re 30, you need a house, you need a relationship and you need children. That’s the image we’re getting served up every day and that’s why it still feels revolutionary to see a real woman on screen. Kima falls hard – and then goes to the kitchen and makes herself a sandwich.” 

“Boho” is all about “the female gaze,” underlines Perquy. And for the longest time, Kima doesn’t feel seen. 

“We call her a dreamer, but ‘delusional’ would be another way to describe her. What kind of person in their 30s goes: ‘I think I will start dancing again.’? I was also a bit delusional at 38 when I left a good job to become a screenwriter,” recalls Boutkabout.

Initially, the show was much darker, influenced by the ongoing pandemic and Boutkabout’s transition into motherhood. However, this made the message “too obvious.”

“My producers said: ‘How about you write something funny?’ I realized that humor was the counterweight I needed, also to channel all these negative emotions. From then on, I’ve had the time of my life.”

Helen Perquy adds: “I’m a firm believer in ‘a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.’ We say a lot with this show, but you almost don’t feel it. It’s joyful and, as Olympia calls it, it’s like a warm blanket in hard times. We all need a warm blanket.”

While the industry continues to mourn the end of the Golden Age of TV, she insists: “In Europe, we should lead the way. That’s for sure.” 

“Things are shifting and changing, but in Flanders and Belgium, we have never been known for doing what’s expected. If you protect the creative voice and really understand what you’re making, you’ll find your audience.” 

This approach is evident in the dystopian series “Arcadia” and “The Big Fuck Up.” 

“We try to fight for this creative window, which is narrowing. The ‘old white man’ is back, that’s true, but ‘Boho’ shows that things can still be done differently.”