Jilali Ferhati is a Moroccan filmmaker, was born in 1948, in Aït Ouahi near Khémisset but grew up in Tangier. He studied sociology and literature in Paris and then launched his career in theater, working as an actor and director at the Theatre International in Paris. In 1982, he founded "Heracles Production", a production company.

His debut in cinema was in 1978 with the feature film Brèche dans le mur (A Breach In the Wall), selected for the Semaine de la Critique at the Cannes Film Festival. His 1982 film Arais Min Kassab was screened at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section, and his 1991 film The Beach of Lost Children was entered into the main competition at the 48th edition of the Venice Film Festival.