Morocco] Words by Matt Meuller Making a Scene 71 Making a Scene

70 where [morocco] Words by Matt Meuller making a Scene 71 making a Scene Now, more than ever, Morocco’s versatile, sweeping landscape is drawing top-name directors, such as Ridley Scott, Martin Scorsese and Paul Greengrass, as well as fostering home-grown talent getty images © Photo: Photo: 72 where [morocco] Desert rushes: ver since Lawrence of this page, director arabia, Morocco has ridley scott and his been a hot spot for Kingdom of Heaven filmmakers looking to take eancient history for a spin in top-flight historical dramas (Troy, Gladiator), or just bring a touch of scorched glamour to their productions with its breathtaking landscapes and ancient walled cities and kasbahs. With the world’s current geopolitical situation thrusting films with Middle Eastern- tinged storylines into the spotlight, Morocco finds itself as the North African nation of choice for Hollywood and international productions, thanks to its safety, stability and cost-effectiveness (the budget for a nine-week shoot in Casablanca would only stretch to 10 days in New York City). In recent years, the chameleon-like nation has represented Afghanistan in Charlie Wilson’s War, Tibet in Martin Scorsese’s potato: “Everything is permitted here, Kundun and Iraq in Paul Haggis’ In at very good prices,” jokes Ismail Farih, The Valley of Elah, in which ramshackle spokesperson for the recently opened neighbourhoods of Marrakech stood in CLA Studios near Ouarzazate, “except for for war-torn Baghdad. XXX movies.” But Morocco doesn’t only masquerade The local executives responsible as other countries: in Babel, Brad Pitt for Morocco’s filming permissions and Cate Blanchett are right in its When Ridley Scott lure overseas productions through a secluded heart for a storyline that paints combination of generous tax exemptions, a bleak picture of being an injured shot Kingdom of free rein to shut down city streets Westerner in an uncaring society. Not during shoots, the creation of a film every country would have looked kindly Heaven, Morocco’s studio in Ouarzazate and even the ready on such controversial subject matter availability of equipment and soldiers being filmed there, but King Mohammed King loaned 1,000 from the Royal Moroccan Army. When VI is known to be an avid film buff and, Ridley Scott shot his Crusades epic since he ascended the throne in 1999, has troops for the Kingdom of Heaven in the country, the set out to make his country a hothouse King personally loaned the production for foreign and local filmmakers alike. battle scenes 1,000 troops to use in the film’s Nothing is considered too much of a hot spectacular battle scenes, with no time limit imposed for their return. “Initially they thought it was very amusing, they thought it was going to be great fun,” laughs Scott of his real-life military extras, “but eventually they realised how boring and repetitive filmmaking can be.” When inflammatory reports surfaced during the shoot that Scott’s Crusaders tale would rile Muslim sensibilities, the King also insisted that Scott accept four personal bodyguards to stay by his side 24-7. “It was very generous and I thanked him,” says the British director, “but I didn’t need it. I never had any trouble; everybody was very friendly l.com the whole time we were in Morocco.” P Director Paul Greengrass “practically closed Tangier down for weeks” to shoot an action sequence for The Bourne allstar © Ultimatum, which sent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) tearing through the port city’s labyrinthine streets on a Photos: Bag boys: the red hot chilli pipers take the stage 74 where [morocco] motorcycle and over its rooftops on foot. “Tangier was a wonderful place to shoot,” says Greengrass, who had the added challenge of shooting during Ramadan, which meant shutting down production when fasting crowds got cranky. “It’s a wonderful location that harks back to the 70s but also has a strong contemporary resonance. We had a lot of fun there.” A dynamic new wave of filmmakers are testing out the country’s relaxed Location Scout censorship laws As did Bourne star Matt Damon, Track down Morocco’s Movie Magic although he did come to regret one character choice: “Bourne doesn’t wear sunglasses,” the actor sighs, which left Ait Ben Haddou Jerusalem in The Last Temptation of him squinting in the blazing Moroccan this spectacular desert town Christ, including the interior of the sunshine for weeks. (above) lies about 15 miles temple and Pontius Pilate’s opulent With film shoots pumping upwards northwest of ouarzazate on the residence. it’s located about 130km of $100 million a year into the marrakech road and has played host north of rabat, which has taken on economy, it makes sense to keep movie to The Jewel of the Nile, Lawrence the mantle of morocco’s capital city. makers coming. But the regime is of Arabia and Gladiator. in the latter, also determined to advance its own it’s the hillside town where russell Atlas Mountains filmmakers, recently unveiling its first crowe is sold into slavery, with a John huston’s adaptation of rudyard national visual arts school in Marrakech small gladiator’s arena built next to Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be in the presence of Martin Scorsese. the existing village for the shoot. King, which stars sean connery and There are still relatively few films being michael caine, takes place in the made in Morocco. At the most recent La Kasbah de Toubkal breathtaking mountain ranges of edition of the Marrakech Film Festival, scorsese was banned by the chinese india and afghanistan but was shot whose president is the King’s younger government from entering tibet so entirely in morocco’s atlas mountains. brother Prince Moulay Moulid, only returned to the country where he one Moroccan film was featured in first came for The Last Temptation Kingdom of competition: Latif Lahlou’s Les Jardins of Christ. this mountain retreat, near Heaven Fortress de Samira, about an urbane young imlil, is situated at the foot of Jbel on the road between marrakech woman ��forced into an arranged marriage toubkal, north africa’s highest peak, and ouarzazate lies the cla studios with an aged, violent farmer. and doubled for a tibetan Buddhist complex, where ridley scott had Lahlou has been making films since monastery in martin scorsese’s Dalai the largest freestanding set ever the 60s, but he and a ��dynamic new lama epic Kundun. constructed for his crusades epic wave ��of filmmakers��including Nour- Kingdom of Heaven. an entire Eddine Lakhmari, ��Faouzi Bensa��di, Nabil Meknes fortress built in the desert, it Ayouch, Laila Marrakchi and Narjiss in a 50-year building splurge, sultan primarily served as Jerusalem Nejjar��are testing out their country’s moulay ismael turned this dusty during its siege by saracen forces. relaxed censorship laws to tackle subjects desert town into a spectacular walled cla purchased it to use for other that would have been unthinkable even capital city housing over 50 palaces. projects so the impressive structure allstar/cinetext collection allstar/cinetext 10 years ago: religion, sex, crime and scorsese opted to use it for ancient is still standing. © poverty. ��Ayouch’s cross-cultural comedy Whatever Lola Wants played at the Dubai Photo: Piping hot: the new tradition (TNT) front ‘bag pop’ where [morocco] 77 View to a thrill: here, director paul Greengrass and Matt damon with the city of tangier as a backdrop; below, leonardo di caprio in the upcoming House of Lies Film Festival, a prestigious platform for Crowe, Scott’s big-budget thriller about a a Moroccan director, while Marrakchi’s CIA agent sent to Jordan to track down an debut feature, Marock, was a local box- al-Qaida leader recently filmed in the capital office smash but did stir up a hornet’s After producing city of Rabat as well as CLA Studios. Like nest for its depiction of a Muslim-Jewish Scorsese, who made The Last Temptation Of romance. “Even�� though this happens barely 100 films Christ and Kundun there, Scott’s something in real life, it’s more difficult to show it of a Morocco veteran, having previously in films,” says Marrakchi. “Some people in 30 years, now used its dazzling scenery as a substitute for didn’t accept it, but I wanted to show the Roman Empire (Gladiator), Somalia the reality of this country. These stories Morocco aims (Black Hawk Down) and Crusades-era Holy are real, they exist and they are a part of Lands (Kingdom of Heaven). Bourne- this country.” to host 40 a year director Greengrass is another filmmaker After producing barely 100 films in who adores the kingdom: 30 years, the production rate exploded in by 2020 he’s currently there with 1998 to a dozen a year, with the country Matt Damon shooting aiming to host 40 films per annum an as yet untitled by 2020. It’s ambitious but could be adaptation of Rajiv essential if the current momentum is Chandrasekaran’s novel to carry on, especially as Morocco’s Imperial Life in position as locations king may be under The Emerald threat, with more high-profile movies City, about opting to shoot in Jordan (including the immediate Brian De Palma’s Redacted and Nick aftermath of the Broomfield’s Battle for Haditha) and Iraq War. the Gulf emirates flinging pots of cash “I absolutely l.com to attract producers. But political love Morocco,” P sensitivities still rule elsewhere, and says Scott. “It’s when Dubai decided to reject Ridley clean, clear, and Scott’s politically charged House of Lies, a great place to allstar © Morocco’s film executives were able to go.

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