The battle is burning between the French cinema giant, Megarama, and Morocco. Jean-Pierre Lemoine, the company’s big boss, did not mince his words in the face of the new bill on the kingdom’s film industry.
“If it means working in a climate of mistrust, I prefer to sell,” he said.
At the heart of the conflict is a provision which prohibits cinema operators from also being film distributors. A measure which directly impacts Megarama, present in Morocco for 20 years and which holds 82% market share with its 48 screens. “We built the first multiplex in Africa in Casablanca, I invested millions of euros here, so if it’s to work in a climate of mistrust, I prefer to sell,” Jean-Pierre Lemoine told the newspaper. The World.
Read: Cinema: a luxury multiplex opens doors in Casablanca
-According to the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), this new regulation aims to promote the distribution of Moroccan films. A laudable objective, but which could have significant consequences on employment and the cinema offer in the country, we worry.
A meeting was planned for this Wednesday between Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Culture and Communication, and Jean-Pierre Lemoine. The objective: to find solutions to ease tensions and ensure the sustainability of the sector. The discussions will focus in particular on the implementing texts of the law, which will have to reconcile the interests of the different actors of Moroccan cinema.
Morocco
