Cinema in Morocco has a long history, stretching back over a century to the filming of Le chevrier Marocain by Louis Lumiere in 1897. Between that time and 1944, many foreign movies were shot in the country, especially in the Ouarzazate area.
In 1944, the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), the nation’s film regulatory agency, was established. Studios were also opened in Rabat.
In 1952, Orson Welles’ Othello won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival under the Moroccan flag. However, the Festival’s musicians did not play the Moroccan national anthem, as no one in attendance knew what it was.
Six years later, Mohammed Ousfour would create the first Moroccan movie, Le fils maudit (“The Damned Son”).
In 1968, the first Mediterranean Film Festival was held in Tangier. In its current incarnation, the event is held in Tetouan.
This was followed in 1982 with the first national festival of cinema, which was held in Rabat.
In 2001, the first International Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) was also held in Marrakech.
