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like business and politics,Fassi men and women invate arts in Morocco and among these people is Mohamed Abderrahman Tazi whose famous movie « Looking for my wife's husband » becomes an idol in the film industry in Morocco.El Massae has made an interview with this film-maker in order to highlight Moroccan cinema during its half century,its pioneers,foreign funding and the remarkable return of cinema of colonization in Maghreb.
How does a film-maker like yourself evaluate the fivety years of cinema in Morocco ?
Abderrahman : Whenever we talk about Moroccan cinema especially its history,we always link our thoughts to its first pionner who is Mohammed Ousfour.But, we should not also forget cinematic esperiences of directors like Lektaa ,El Darkaoui,and Tazi.This era of these film-makers was known right after the independence .In the seventies,we filmed « Oushma » the film that really marks the history of cinema in this country.i also consider 1968 the fundamenral year of professional cinema and these cinematic productions in Morocco you see now on screen are related to this era .
Does FIFM try to evaluate this half century of cinema in Moroco or do you think that the foundation has been unsuccessful to do this job ?
Abderrahman : Indeed,there was the thought to celebrate half century of Morocan cinema.but in general the way of celebrating this event by the foundation especiallay through that magazine of cinema is a little bit ugly namely that this magazine has forgotten some cinematic names . It is unfair to ignore my generation of cinema .It is just unbelievable .
Do you think that the generation of today in Morocco is much more lucky ?
Abderrahman : Yes,i think so.This generation has come to cinema after we have made things easier for them.In the past,every thing was difficult.It is unjust to come and erase our names .Moroccan cinema enjoys dome degree of freedom unlike our neighbors namely Algeria .This country was oriented and forced by the state to tackle subjects of forexcample the revolution of agriculture especially in the seventeen and eighties .In Morocco we were in some way free to work cinematically.
There is another orientation which is more dangerous than the intruding of the state which is the money of foreign countries ,Europe forexcample ?
Abderrahman : It is true. I feel sorry about this fact.Money is important to produce movies, and we observe that some directors just obey foreign directives so as to get money.This way of productions constraints our culture because these directors favor values and cultures of others and forget theirs .It is pitiful.
I am afraid to say that we fall into the dilemma of following France which insists on inserting its culture via movies .This action remains a little bit secretive .At last, the west is keen to see us the way it wants to that’s why we must be careful of this intruding.
Moroccan cinema has been metamorphosed in quality and quantity ,from 15 films per year ?
It is a question that prevails me whether we have produced more films in quality or quantity.We have arrived to produce indeed 15 films per year ,but for whom we are shooting ? Where is the public ,where are cinema-theatres knowing that our movies via box office have reached in the past 800 thousand cinema-goers but now box offices are going far less than this amount ;about 200 thounsand and yet sometimes we feel satisfied and happy about this result.Cinema policy should be studied carefully.
Written by El Massae
Translated by Allal El ALaoui
Fassi derives from Fes, a spiritual town in Morocco
