Ouarzazate launches international cinematic production city to boost Morocco's film industry

The launch ceremony was led by Mohamed Mehdi Bensaïd, the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication. This initiative aims to enhance Ouarzazate's appeal as the "Hollywood of Africa" and solidify Morocco's standing as a regional and international hub for audiovisual production. The Minister highlighted that the project is the culmination of years of planning to complete Ouarzazate's cinematic ecosystem, particularly by establishing a post-production center, which has been a missing link in the industry's value chain.

This new infrastructure will enable international productions to complete all operations on-site, extending their stay and generating economic benefits for local hospitality, catering, transport, and service sectors. The national film sector has seen significant growth, with foreign investments reaching nearly 1.24 billion dirhams in 2024, underscoring Morocco's increasing attractiveness to major international studios. The integrated city will feature eight complementary hubs, including state-of-the-art filming studios, a post-production center with digital labs and editing suites, broadcasting and training facilities, and a three-to-five-star hotel complex for production teams.

Film producer Khadija Alami noted that the project addresses long-standing constraints, such as studio capacity, and will boost Morocco's comp