Morocco film locations have similarities with many places in the world, which has made it a favourite destination for legendary filmmakers since the fifties, such as Henry Hathaway (The black rose – 1950), Orson Welles (The tragedy of Othello – 1952), Alfred Hitchcock in 1956 (The man who knew too much), Robert Aldrich in 1962 (Sodom and Gomorrah), David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia-1962) and Henri Verneuille ($100 000 au soleil-1962) … and more.
In the last three decades, other filmmakers as eminent as the ones mentioned above, also came to Morocco film locations and filmed some of the biggest movies in the cinema’s history:
· John Huston: The man who would be King: 1975
· Martin Scorsese: The Last Temptation of Christ: 1988 & Kundun: 1997
· Oliver stone: Alexander: 2004
· Ridley Scott: Gladiator: 2000, Black Hawk Down: 2001, Kingdom of heaven: 2004 and recently, Body of lies
What did persuade all these well-known filmmakers to come and shoot their movies in Morocco film locations?
They simply know that, whether the movies, they are producing and directing, are talking about events happening today or deep in a distant past, Morocco film locations will wonderfully fit, as if they were just tailored for their stories.
They also know that, by filming their projects or part of them in Morocco, they will surround their characters with a certain exotism they wouldn’t find anywhere else. Or simply give the illusion of shooting in any other part of the world and still take advantage of all the benefits by such a location.
One of the major benefits is the proximity of Morocco to Europe and to the states. In addition to that, Morocco has the most developed cinema infrastructure of the region.
Are there any other benefits?
You can hire the most experienced film companies in the country to run the production services, including the location scouts, offices rental, crew hiring, shooting permits, equipment rental in Morocco or abroad, transport, catering, accommodation and more...
You do not have to worry about dragging your film equipment (except from camera, lenses and filters).
The local film technicians, bilingual in most cases, are used to work with foreigner teams and are paid at much lower rates than technicians in the States or in Europe.
The locations fees are one of the cheapest in Africa and annual sunshine levels are more than 8 hours a day at the most wanted filming locations, such as Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Erfoud and Agadir.
About the Author:
Rachid Gaidi works in the film business, since 1994, as an assistant director. He also worked as a location manager, unit manager... Publishes, http://www.moroccofilmlocation.com , a web site about filming in Morocco, North Africa.
The most wanted film locations by filmmakers are in Morocco
