The cinema of Morocco refers to the film industry in Morocco.
History
Cinema in Morocco has a long history, stretching back over a century to the filming of Le chevrier Marocain ("The Moroccan Goatherd") by Louis Lumière in 1897. Between that time and 1944, many foreign movies were shot in the country, especially in the Ouarzazate area.
In 1944, the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), the nation's film regulatory body, was established. Studios were also opened in Rabat.
In 1952, Orson Welles' Othello won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival under the Moroccan flag. However, the Festival's musicians did not play the Moroccan national anthem, as no one in attendance knew what it was.
Six years later, Mohammed Ousfour would create the first Moroccan movie, Le fils maudit ("The Damned Son").
In 1968, the first Mediterranean Film Festival was held in Tangier. In its current incarnation, the event is held in Tetouan.
This was followed in 1982 with the first national festival of cinema, which was held in Rabat.
In 2001, the first International Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) was also held in Marrakech.
Film industry in Morocco
Directors
Morocco has known a first generation of directors in the 70s-90s. They participated to the development of film industry in Morocco. Notable film makers are Hamid Bénani (Wechma, Traces, 1970), Souheil Ben Barka (Les Mille et une Mains, 1974), Moumen Smihi (El Chergui ou le Silence violent, 1975), Ahmed El Maânouni (Alyam, Alyam, 1978 ; Transes (Al Hal), 1981; Les CÅ"urs brûlés, 2007), Jilali Ferhati (Poupées de roseau, 1981 ; La Plage des enfants perdus, 1991), Mustapha Derkaoui (Les Beaux Jours de Shéhérazade, 1982) ; Farida Benlyazd (Une porte sur le ciel, 1988), Saâd Chraïbi (Chronique d'une vie normale, 1990), Mohamed Abderrahmane Tazi (Badis, 1989 ; À la recherche du mari de ma femme, 1993), Abdelkader Lagtaâ (Un amour à Casablanca, 1992 ; La Porte close, 1998), Hakim Noury (Le Marteau et l'Enclume, 1990), Hassan Benjelloun (La Fête des autres, 1990)
More recently and since the year 2000 a new and younger generation are taking over.
- Nabil Ayouch
- Narjiss Nejjar
- Faouzi Bensaïdi
- Nour-Eddine Lakhmari
- Laïla Marrakchi (her first full-length feature film, Marock, produced in 2004 was nominated at the Festival de Cannes 2005 category "Un certain regard").
Festivals
- International Film Festival of Marrakech
- Mediterranean Film Festival
Comedians
Living in Morocco
Living in abroad (mainly France)
National structure
Union and professional organizations
The Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (Centre cinématographique marocain in French) is the main actor in the Moroccan film industry. Most other players are grouped into smaller trade associations
Recording studio
- studios ATLAS (Ouarzazate)
- studios KAN ZAMANE
- studios CINEDINA (Soualem)
- studios ESTER ANDROMEDA
- CLA Studio (Ouarzazate)
- studio CINECITTA (Ouarzazate)
- Studios Marocains
Schools of cinema
- École supérieure des arts visuels de Marrakech (ESAVM)
- École de cinéma de Ouarzazate
- Institut spécialisé du cinéma et de l'audiovisuel (ISCA) de Rabat
- Institut supérieur des métiers de l'audiovisuel et du cinéma (ISMAC)
See also
- List of foreign movies shot in Morocco
- Culture of Morocco
- Cinema of the world
References
Further reading
- Kevin Dwyer, "Morocco: A National Cinema with Large Ambitions" in: Josef Gugler (ed.) Film in the Middle East and North Africa: Creative Dissidence, University of Texas Press and American University in Cairo Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-292-72327-6, ISBN 978-9-774-16424-8, pp 325-348
External links
- Moroccan Cinema Cinema portal in Morocco
- CineMa Cinema
- [1] JAWHARA, prison girl, by Saad Chraïbi, in Babelmed.net
