The Director of the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), Abdelaziz Bouzdaini, and the Head of International Relations at the Italian production company “Rai Cinema,” Carlo Gentile, met in Venice on Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and Italy in the field of film production, with the aim of promoting Moroccan cinema.
During the 81st Venice International Film Festival, the two officials agreed to enhance the distribution of Moroccan cinema in Italy, thus opening new opportunities to showcase Morocco’s rich film heritage beyond its borders.
Bouzdaini, who is also the Secretary General of the Department of Communication, noted that this cooperation involves Italy acquiring Moroccan films made before 2022, as well as screening restored films from CCM’s archives, some dating back to the 1950s, including the feature film “Soleil du printemps” by Latif Lahlou.
He also mentioned that the dubbing of these films into Italian will be handled by the Rai group’s production and distribution company, aiming to promote Moroccan culture and cinema in Italy, particularly to the Moroccan, Maghrebian, and Arab communities residing in the European country.
This meeting follows an earlier discussion with the Italian official at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, which focused on strengthening cultural and professional ties between Morocco and Italy and exploring new bilateral collaboration opportunities in the film and artistic sectors.
Carlo Gentile expressed his enthusiasm for the growth of Moroccan cinema and emphasized that the goal of this bilateral cooperation is to increase the visibility of Moroccan cinema in Italy through television broadcasts, festival participation, and cultural events such as Moroccan film weeks in Italy.
He added that Moroccan films will be screened with subtitles or dubbed to bring Italian audiences closer to Moroccan productions. Additionally, meetings between producers from both countries will be organized to explore co-productions and scouting opportunities in Morocco, known for its extraordinary landscapes and settings.
A significant Moroccan delegation led by Abdelaziz Bouzdaini is attending the Venice Film Festival, which runs from August 28 to September 7.
