Can we be hopeful about the future of Moroccan cinema despite its challenges?

The 2000s have been described as a vibrant era for cinematic productions in the Maghreb. More recently, the Moroccan film industry, in particular, has undergone a shift, with a new generation of filmmakers receiving the spotlight at Cannes and other international film festivals.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has produced various difficulties that have altered cinematic practices, and these challenges continue to confront many Moroccan producers, directors, and actors. Moreover, although auteur cinema exists in Morocco, it is not widely enjoyed by local audiences.

Lamia Chraibi is a renowned producer whose credits include Hisham Lasri’s first feature-length film, The End (2011), the horror film Achoura (2018), which won a prize at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival, and Mimosas (2016), a Cannes Critics’ Week winner that Chraibi co-produced.

In 2007, Chraibi established her own film company, La Prod, in Casablanca, and after spending nine years working in the advertising industry in France, she expanded her company, establishing a studio in Paris in 2011.

In an interview with The New Arab, Lamia expressed concern about navigating uncertainty: “For our cinema to become a true industry, it’s crucial to establish a virtuous cycle of self-financing, where box office revenues would fund film production.

"However, with the closure of small local theatres, such as the Lynx in Casablanca and the Royal in Oujda, combined with multiplexes focused solely on commercial films and serious distribution efforts lacking the necessary resources, auteur cinema is struggling.

"It can only survive on life support thanks to public funding driven by a political will to support national creation — a reality seen worldwide.”

Lamia is also one of the five founders and the current president of the Tamayouz Cinema Foundation, an organisation that seeks to improve young Moroccan women’s access to the film industry, particularly in film production.

Encouraging global interest 

In a telephone conversation with The New Arab, Moroccan director, writer, and actor Mohcine Besri (known for The Miscreants, Urgent, and Laaziza) commented on how international film festivals abroad can “provide an ideal showcase to highlight Moroccan cinema and discover new films and filmmakers from our region.”

However, he would like Moroccan cinema to go beyond this: “It would be desirable for distributors to show more interest in our productions and release them in theatres, thus allowing them to reach a wider audience.”

He further clarified: “In a context where information is increasingly difficult to obtain and often resembles a war of propaganda, cinema offers a more playful and enriching approach to discovering other cultures and connecting with others.”

While major festivals abroad showcase high-quality films addressing important geopolitical and social issues, some can be criticised for a certain preference for a specific type of socio-realist drama: “Although these films deserve their place, it is essential to remember that other stories exist that are equally rich and captivating, and they deserve to be brought to light to offer viewers around the world a more complete vision of our societies.”

Morocco's cinematic evolution

Cinema in Morocco has a long history. Morocco’s first cinemas were built by the French, who established a protectorate over the country in 1912. Shaped by a culture of entertainment and recreation, Casablanca’s emblematic cinemas, such as Cinema Rialto, Cinema Lynx, and Cinema Vox, hosted premieres of international films and performers.

For example, Cinema Rialto, which was designed by French architect Pierre Jabin, was completed in 1929. It was subsequently acquired by the Bouchentouf family in the 1950s and remains a glorious example of the Art Deco architectural style of the past.

The Franco-Moroccan actor and entrepreneur Tarik Mounim (from the film Adieu Mères and TV series Jorouh and B.R.I.) is the founder and president of Save Cinemas in Morocco, an association created in 2007 in response to the closure and destruction of numerous iconic movie theatres.

During the 2008 Marrakech International Film Festival — a world-renowned cinematic event that takes place annually in the vibrant city of Marrakech — Mounim launched a campaign to raise awareness about the issue, mobilising various professionals from across the industry to support the cause.

“Morocco saw its neighbourhood theatres quickly deserted due to well-known reasons, such as piracy," explained Tarik to The New Arab.

At the peak of cinema culture in the 1980s, there were over 240 movie theatres in Morocco and no less than 50 million cinemagoers per year.

The proliferation of satellite TV contributed to the decline in attendance, while rising ticket prices also generated concerns, according to several online reports.

“As of 2024, Morocco has fewer than 25 cinemas and less than 1.9 million spectators annually,” said Tarik.

He further commented: “It is essential to adopt a new dynamic around these historic places by first renovating them and then encouraging the public to reconnect with their neighbourhood theatres.

"It is worth noting that, in the 1970s and 1980s, Moroccan film clubs played a major role in film education, with more than 9,000 film clubs existing in the 1980s.”

Optimism for Morocco’s cinematic future 

The money invested by foreign film productions represents a key contributor to Morocco’s film industry, which is expected to achieve record profits.

However, cinemas remain abandoned in the south-central city of Ouarzazate, known for its film studios and as a key location for international film productions (Babel, Gladiator, Game of Thrones).

If we do not want to see them disappear forever, “it is imperative today to envision a tripartite policy involving public, private, and association efforts to reinvest in these spaces of expression and cultural diversity and support the willingness of certain owners who wish to bring these historic cinemas up to modern standards,” said Tarik. For this purpose, the Save Cinemas in Morocco association has listed several iconic theatres as historical monuments, safeguarding them from destruction.

Nevertheless, there are reasons to remain optimistic. Morocco also boasts a well-developed cinematic ecosystem that includes technicians, directors, producers, actors, and actresses. The Centre Cinématographique Marocain, the state body that controls Morocco’s film industry, also allocates some funds for the modernisation and digitisation of movie theatres.

Furthermore, art houses and venues screening non-commercial content represent an opportunity to show home-grown auteur films that might present a more critical view of life.

However, this remains insufficient. Today, Moroccan films are attracting larger audiences than ever before, “even surpassing American blockbusters at the box office,” concludes Tarik.

In 2022, the launch of Aflamin, Nabil Ayouch’s award-winning Moroccan streaming platform, marked the first step toward ensuring that more Moroccan films can be seen on the global stage.

Elisa Pierandrei is an Italian journalist and author based in Milan. She writes and researches stories across art, literature, and the visual media. Elisa holds a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo (2002), after graduating in Arabic Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University in Venice (1998). 

Follow her on X: @ShotOfWhisky