By Sapha Bouamara
Rabat – During the first six months of this year, the value of investments in foreign films in Morocco reached up to MAD 502 million, with a total of twenty-two foreign movies and TV productions filmed before the end of this past month.
Morocco has been always known for its great and big landmarks, like the Kasbahs of Ouarzazate, the exotic monuments in Marrakech or Tangier’s breathtaking scenery. Many famous movies have been filmed in Morocco such as Babel, a multi-narrative Drama directed by Alejandro González and written by Guillermo Arriaga and starring Brad Pitt or Rock the Kasbah an American comedy film directed by Barry Levinson, with many film stars including Bruce Willis, Bill Murray and Kate Hudson.
These past few years, the cinema in Morocco has grown. According to the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre, just in this past six months more than MAD 500 Million, ($61 Million) was invested in the production of movies in Morocco. The whole of last year, the investment was only twenty-four million dollars.
Morocco had more than 20 movie sets, nine of which are American movies, four French and some from different countries like Germany and Canada. And last May, the German movie producer and director Tom Tykwer filmed some of his movie, “A Hologram For The King,” in Moroccans cities like Laayoun, Tata and Ouarzazate studios.
Earlier this year, the movie Queen of The Desert directed by Werner Herzog, a German producer and actor, took place in Marzouga, Marrakesh, Arfoud and Ouarzazate, Morocco. The move gathered big and well-known actors and actresses like Nichol Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattison and about 50 Moroccan actors and more than 1000 extras and 65 Moroccan technicians who helped during the filming.
Morocco hosted over 50 movies that were entirely or partially shot in different cities. Some of them are famous movies like The Mummy, The Hills Have Eyes, Body of Lies and even some shots from Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
1 United States Dollar = 8.25 Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Edited by Ann Smith
