Shortly after the introduction into Morocco of the first camera in 1907 by Felix Mesguich, the machine of the colonial film gave birth, since1919, to the first fiction movie of the colonial inspiration in Morocco. Accordingly, "Mektoub" was realized by J. Pinchon and Daniel Quenton. Several tens of full-length movies were filmed between the two wars and during the period of the Protectorate. Other filmmakers moved to Morocco to shoot their movies: Spanish and German directors chose the northern and southern regions of Morocco to film their peregrinations in a country living under the yoke of the Franco-Spanish occupation.

Of all these movies, the most famous belonged to Orson Welles who shot "Othello” between 1949 and 1951 in Mogador and Mazagan. The movie won the gold Palm at Cannes.

Before that, in 1941, Mohamed Osfour, the first Moroccan filmmaker, shot in Casablanca Moroccan remakes of Tarzan, Robin wood and Charlot into authentically Moroccan versions. They became "Ibnou Al Ghab", "Joha", "Charlito", etc.

In 1944, the French authorities created the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM).
At the same time, the Rabat-based Souissi studios opened their doors in a French attempt to make the country a platform for production after the success of Egyptian films.

Mohamed Osfour’s "Le fils maudit” shot in 1958, was the first full-length fiction movie of post-independent Morocco.
A number of short films were realized at that time by the first scenario writers trained in Europe. It is the year 1968, however, which marked the real start of a regular fiction production.

In 1980, the state founded le Fonds de Soutien à la Production et à l’Embellissement des salles de spectacles through the CCM.  It became le Fonds d’Aide à la Production in 1987, then Avance sur Recettes in 2004. This support fund spent about 36 million dirhams for the national cinematographic production in 2004.

Since the beginning of the new century, the average film production per year has increased substantially. On average, about ten full-length films and about fifteen short films are produced every year.

Cinema studios, particularly Atlas et Clas-Cineccita, are located in Ouarzazate. In Lissasfa, a town not far from Casablanca, there are MPS studios.

During the last years, these studios harbored the shooting of some famous films such as: "Kundun" by Martin Scorsese, " gladiator" by Ridley Scott, " Black Hawk Down" by Tony Scott, " Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra by Alain Chabat  "Iznogoud" by Patrick Braoudé, "Alexander" by Oliver Stone, "Kingdom of Heaven" by Ridley Scott.

Training in the professions related to cinema is ensured by the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Film and Audiovisual run by the Ouarzazate based studio Dagham Films.

For further information:

www.mincom.gov.ma
 www.ccm.net.ma
 www.bladi.net