The Film Industry in Morocco (Part 2 of 2)

Two Film Industries (Separate, Not Equal)

It would seem that there are two very distinct film industries in Morocco: the films produced by Moroccans, and the films produced by foreigners. In fact, they are linked to one another by political economy. Consider the following scene. Moroccan filmmaker M. A. Tazi was trying to reconstruct a fourteenth-century urban environment in Salé for a film based on a Moroccan novel. Meanwhile, airplanes roared overhead and explosions erupted not far away as Ridley Scott filmed the U.S. blockbuster Black Hawk Down. The interruption to Tazi’s filming, not to mention the lives of Salé residents, represents the interconnected experiences of filmmakers in Morocco. Though filmmakers in Morocco share space, and may even collaborate on the same films (international collaboration is always limited to foreign films), the relations between the film industries they represent are not widely recognized.

Foreign Films Made in Morocco

There are tons of places where you can find out about foreign films made in Morocco (for example, see the MarocMama list here).

Selective List of Foreign Films with Scenes Shot in Morocco

Moroccan authorities’ accommodation of foreign filmmakers has a long history. In 1922, local authorities assembled twelve thousand people, four thousand horses, and two thousand camels for the filming of Le Sang d’Allah. Al-Tahāmῑ al-Glaoui (1879-1956), the infamous pasha of Marrakesh, opened his private gardens and salons for more than three months for the filming of several scenes in a film. In 2005, Ridley Scott received official sanction from king Mohammed VI to hire 1,500 Moroccan soldiers as extras in Kingdom of Heaven.[1] The disparity between foreign production costs and economic conditions in Morocco sometimes make possible filming opportunities that would otherwise be unthinkable.

Though there are dozens of popular filming locations in Morocco, Ouarzazate is by far the most popular. It boasts several studios, including Atlas, CLA, and Kanzaman. With several foreign film crews in town at any given time, about half of Ouarzazate’s population support themselves by serving as extras, camera technicians, or stunt experts in American and European films. The intense filming in Ouarzazate and other prime locations in Morocco raises many questions regarding its long-term impact on labor, social organization, and ecology. Only time will reveal how the Moroccan film industry weathers the storm of foreign capital, competition, and collaboration.

An Uncertain Future

The relationship between a nation and its cinema may be fraught with contentious issues. In Morocco, these issues are shaped by historical circumstances and international political and economic relations. Alongside the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in viewing habits, the future of Morocco’s film industry remains unknown. For example, Netflix has increased its showings from diverse regions, but the details regarding which programs are distributed in which countries and which platforms provide which programs are complex and still developing. For now, I’d like to close by recommending some favorite Moroccan films. I’d love to help with translating these if anyone decides to distribute them to viewers in English-speaking regions!

Recommended Moroccan Films

[1] Brendan Sainsbury, “Morocco’s Movie-Buff Magic Is No Mirage,” 2 June 2005, The Georgia Straight. Link.