More than 35 Moroccan movies are now available online for free.
Rabat – The Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM) has made 11 more Moroccan movies available for free online to help movie-lovers cope with boredom during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown.
The decision to make the movies available to stream came following the Moroccan government’s decision to extend the lockdown period by three weeks, until June 10.
The list of the movies includes “While Waiting for Pasolini” by Daoud Aoulad-Syad, “A Mile in My Shoes” by Said Khallaf, “Tinghir-Jerusalem: Echoes From the Mellah” by Kamal Hachkar, “The Pilgrims” by Mohamed Achaour, and “The Fifth String” by Salma Bargach.
The list also includes “Trances” by Ahmed Maanouni, “The Seventh Door” by Ali Essafi, “The Little Big Miloudi” by Leila El Amine, “Catharsis” by Yassine Maroc Marroccu, “Malak” by Abdeslam Kelai, and “Silence of the Butterflies” by Hamid Basket.
Each movie will be available on CCM’s website for 48 hours, according to a pre-established schedule.
On March 31, CCM started streaming a selection of 25 movies. According to the center, the initiative aimed to provide a new source of entertainment for Moroccans during the lockdown period.
The movies were scheduled to remain available until the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, predicted on May 23. However, due to the lockdown extension, the movies will remain accessible to the public, in addition to the 11 new movies.
Since March 31, the 25 movies have attracted an audience from Morocco and 50 other countries across the world. On average, every movie had 30,000 viewers.
The initiative to add more options on the website comes as Morocco enters its third month under a state of emergency. The lockdown requires all Moroccans to remain in their homes except for three reasons: Work, essential grocery shopping, and medical emergencies.
The lockdown has forced millions of Moroccans to change their habits, especially in terms of entertainment.
In late March, a survey by Morocco’s Center of Interprofessional Media Audiences (CIAUMED) revealed that Moroccan households have increased their daily television intake by an hour and a half since the start of the lockdown.