Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 5:04 p.m.
Paris – Morocco and France signed an agreement on Saturday in Cannes aimed at giving new impetus to their cooperation in the areas of co-production and cinematographic exchanges.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, and the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, after a bilateral meeting.
This agreement aims to clarify and simplify co-production procedures between Moroccan and French filmmakers, in addition to setting up a joint commission between the Moroccan Cinematographic Center and its French counterpart to implement this agreement.
It repeals the agreement on co-production and cinematographic exchanges between the two countries, signed in Rabat on July 27, 1977, and defines the terms of cooperation in this area.
The text also aims to improve the legal framework for cinematographic cooperation between the two countries, taking into account the rules of the film industry in force in France and Morocco.
In a statement to MAP following the signing ceremony, Ms. Dati underlined the importance of this agreement which “only establishes an obvious and therefore natural partnership”.
“Moroccan cinema is renowned and recognized. It has been recognized in Cannes on numerous occasions and has also been honored on numerous occasions at this international festival,” rejoiced the French minister.
In his eyes, “France can only be in this dynamic of recognition, but also of sustainability in partnerships”, also emphasizing the importance of gaming, “an extremely important cultural industry” and one of the sectors which are recording an “exponential” level of growth in the Kingdom.
“We want to have this partnership to develop this industry as widely as possible, with the support of France. But we also need Morocco’s knowledge and creativity in gaming,” said Ms. Dati.
“Morocco is extremely creative in everything cultural,” she concluded.
For his part, Mr. Bensaid underlined the symbolism of this agreement signed on the occasion of the Cannes festival, where Morocco is represented by several films and within the jury of the “Un Certain Regard” selection, through the young director Sanae El Moudir.
“Obviously, this only brings together Moroccan and French professionals and quite simply strengthens the relations of friendship and fraternity between France and Morocco,” said the minister.
It is also about the possibility of having a much larger market in the cinema aspect, as well as in other aspects such as gaming and heritage protection, he added.
