{"id":5137,"date":"2026-11-04T02:35:55","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T02:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=5137"},"modified":"2026-11-04T12:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T12:19:26","slug":"khalid-zairi-the-strength-of-moroccan-cinema-is-a-strategic-asset-for-building-ambitious-african-co-productions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/khalid-zairi-the-strength-of-moroccan-cinema-is-a-strategic-asset-for-building-ambitious-african-co-productions\/","title":{"rendered":"Khalid Zairi: \u201cThe Strength of Moroccan Cinema Is a Strategic Asset for Building Ambitious African Co-productions\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Abidjan for the sixth edition of the Moroccan Film Week in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Moroccan filmmaker and producer Khalid Zairi reflects on the future of cinematic cooperation between Morocco and African countries. Looking back at the developments that have strengthened Moroccan cinema\u2019s position across the continent, he highlights the artistic, technical and industrial expertise accumulated over successive generations. Beyond the symbolic significance of presenting Moroccan films to Ivorian audiences, his perspective addresses a more fundamental challenge: how can cultural and diplomatic ties be translated into joint film projects built on complementary talent, shared responsibilities, respect for rights, and expanded opportunities for production, distribution and engagement with African audiences?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the film industry, the significance of an international presence cannot be measured solely by the number of films screened or the professional encounters organised between artists and producers. Its real value also lies in the new opportunities these exchanges create, the movement of experience and expertise, and their ability to bring together film industries with different histories and resources.<\/p>\n

Seen from this perspective, Morocco\u2019s participation in the Moroccan Film Week in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire carries a distinct cultural and professional significance. It provides an opportunity to present a national cinema that has gradually developed its identity through the work of successive generations of filmmakers, technicians and producers, and that now possesses the capabilities to contribute to projects extending beyond national borders.<\/p>\n

For filmmaker and producer Khalid Zairi, the Moroccan presence in Abidjan reflects the vitality of a cinema that has developed its own artistic language while remaining open to the world around it. Moroccan films presented to Ivorian audiences do more than offer perspectives on Moroccan society and its transformations. They also enter a space of cultural dialogue, revealing how these works resonate with audiences in another African social and cultural environment.<\/p>\n

Zairi also emphasises that this encounter draws much of its significance from the depth of the relationship between Morocco and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire. Cinema can add a further human and aesthetic dimension to these ties through stories, faces and experiences that bring the sensibilities of the two societies closer together. For industry professionals, the event also offers a valuable opportunity to establish direct connections and explore forms of cooperation that can extend well beyond the temporary framework of a cultural event.<\/p>\n

Moroccan cinema: a collective achievement extending beyond production and exhibition<\/h3>\n

When discussing the position Moroccan cinema has gained across Africa, Khalid Zairi does not attribute it to a single factor. Rather, he sees it as the result of an ecosystem built over time through public-sector commitment, the support of the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre, and the sustained work of generations of professionals who have developed expertise across the different disciplines of filmmaking.<\/p>\n

This accumulated experience has encouraged diverse forms of artistic expression and strengthened professional skills in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, production and the many other specialisations required to bring a film to completion. Added to this are the country’s infrastructure, technical services and experience in international production, all of which enhance Morocco’s ability to host and support projects with demanding professional and organisational requirements.<\/p>\n

For Zairi, the strength of the Moroccan experience lies precisely in the combination of its artistic, human and industrial dimensions, rather than in the availability of equipment and facilities alone. A film industry cannot be built solely on studios and technical resources. It also requires skilled professionals, substantial production-management experience and an environment capable of transforming ideas and scripts into completed works.<\/p>\n

This accumulated experience gives Morocco both an opportunity and a greater ambition in its engagement with Africa. The challenge now is to put these achievements at the service of new production opportunities and stronger circulation of films between countries across the continent.<\/p>\n

Co-production: turning experience into shared value<\/h3>\n

Khalid Zairi does not regard cinematic cooperation as merely an exchange of films or the organisation of cultural weeks. He places co-production at the heart of any strategy seeking to build a more interconnected African film industry.<\/p>\n

Cooperation can begin at the earliest stages of a project’s development and continue through the search for partners, pre-production, filming and post-production. However, access to technical resources or the existence of political and cultural goodwill cannot, by themselves, guarantee a successful co-production. Its success depends first on the quality of the project, the strength of its artistic vision and the genuine commitment of the partners involved.<\/p>\n

The producer therefore stresses the importance of building co-productions around a shared creative vision and clearly defined contributions. Every partner must understand their position, assume their responsibilities and have their rights protected. From this perspective, Morocco’s experience can provide genuine added value to African partners, provided it is used within a framework of complementarity rather than a one-sided relationship.<\/p>\n

This distinction is essential to the future of African film production. The success of a partnership should not be measured solely by one participant’s ability to provide funding or technical services. It must also be assessed through the effective involvement of every partner in shaping the artistic identity of the work and in determining the rights associated with its exploitation and circulation.<\/p>\n

Morocco and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire: shared stories waiting for their cinematic language<\/h3>\n

Discussing the prospects for cooperation between Morocco and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Khalid Zairi points to the quality of bilateral relations and the favourable conditions they offer for bringing professionals in the film sector closer together. Yet he believes that moving from institutional and diplomatic proximity to concrete productions requires the identification of stories and themes capable of genuinely speaking to both societies.<\/p>\n

He sees promising opportunities in contemporary narratives, human journeys and questions of collective memory. These are subjects that could resonate with Moroccan and Ivorian audiences alike. The ambition, therefore, should not simply be to bring different nationalities together around a production, but to create works rooted in a genuine convergence of perspectives and cultural sensibilities.<\/p>\n

To move in this direction, Zairi believes producers, writers and directors must be involved from the earliest stages of project development. Professional meetings dedicated to film projects, screenplay exchanges and development workshops could help identify the most relevant partnerships before production begins.<\/p>\n

The next step is to establish a coherent artistic and financial structure for each project. For Zairi, a gradual approach based on selecting solid projects, bringing together the right partners and maintaining regular follow-up throughout production offers the most realistic path towards sustainable cooperation.<\/p>\n

Trust and contracts: the professional foundations behind cinematic creativity<\/h3>\n

Behind the creative images that cinema brings to audiences lies a complex structure of financial, legal and operational commitments. This dimension becomes particularly important when a production brings together partners from different countries.<\/p>\n

Khalid Zairi therefore attaches considerable importance to preparation. A sufficiently developed screenplay, a rigorous assessment of costs and a sound understanding of production conditions in the countries involved are among the first requirements for establishing a viable project.<\/p>\n

He also stresses the need to define financial commitments, the division of responsibilities, exploitation rights and decision-making procedures. Clear contractual arrangements protect all partners and prevent professional disagreements from developing into disputes that could jeopardise the production.<\/p>\n

Yet contracts cannot replace trust. Trust is built through transparency, respect for commitments and a shared willingness to resolve the difficulties that inevitably arise during production. The continuity of cooperation therefore depends not only on the quality of signed agreements, but also on the professional conduct that ensures they are honoured.<\/p>\n

Skills transfer: no film industry can develop without new generations<\/h3>\n

For Khalid Zairi, African cooperation should not be viewed solely as a mechanism for financing and producing films. It is also an opportunity to transfer knowledge and develop professional skills.<\/p>\n

Every joint production allows artistic and technical teams to compare working methods, discover different practices and expand their expertise. Film sets, project-development workshops and post-production activities all provide opportunities for knowledge transfer, moving beyond theoretical training into the practical experience of working together.<\/p>\n

Morocco, he believes, possesses a professional capital that it can contribute to this process. African partners, in turn, bring their own approaches to directing, storytelling and production organisation. This reciprocity is precisely what gives cooperation its real value and helps develop teams capable of undertaking larger and more ambitious productions together.<\/p>\n

The future of African cinema therefore depends on more than increasing the number of films produced. It also requires the development of specialised local skills, broader training and employment opportunities, and professional environments in which experience can accumulate within African countries themselves.<\/p>\n

From making films to reaching audiences: distribution is equally decisive<\/h3>\n

In Khalid Zairi\u2019s view, a film’s journey does not end when shooting is completed or when it appears at a festival. A work only realises its full potential when it reaches its audience. Distribution and exhibition must therefore be treated as essential components of production strategy, rather than secondary stages introduced after the film has been completed.<\/p>\n

For this reason, he advocates considering distribution opportunities from the project’s development stage, taking into account target territories, languages, audience habits and the different channels through which a film can be exploited and exhibited.<\/p>\n

Festivals and film weeks play an important role in increasing the visibility of cinematic works. However, their impact should be extended through lasting professional relationships between producers, distributors, cinema operators, broadcasters, television channels and digital platforms.<\/p>\n

This is where co-production acquires its full significance. It does not merely bring together professional skills to create a film; it also opens up opportunities for that film to circulate across several territories. The connection between creativity, production and distribution gives cooperation its industrial, commercial and cultural dimension, enabling films to move beyond their domestic markets and reach wider audiences across Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n

Abidjan: turning professional encounters into projects and intentions into commitments<\/h3>\n

Asked what concrete outcome he hopes will emerge from the Moroccan Film Week in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Khalid Zairi does not focus on the number of meetings or declarations of intent. Instead, he emphasises the importance of identifying specific avenues of work, assigning them to clearly identified professionals and establishing follow-up mechanisms capable of turning discussions into tangible results.<\/p>\n

A relationship of trust between producers, a project requiring further development or a technical collaboration may provide the starting point for a broader partnership. What matters is that professional exchanges lead to initiatives that can actually be implemented, supported by mechanisms ensuring continuity and follow-through.<\/p>\n

Morocco, he believes, possesses the experience and professional resources required to play a leading role in this dynamic. The fundamental challenge, however, is to place these assets at the service of ambitious cinematic projects developed with African partners in a spirit of balance and respect for each country’s artistic and cultural identity.<\/p>\n

At the end of the conversation, Khalid Zairi’s message is clear: the future of African cinematic cooperation will not be built on good intentions alone, nor on the symbolic importance of cultural events, however valuable they may be. It will depend on the quality of the films produced, the professionalism of the partnerships behind them, and their ability to endure and reach audiences.<\/p>\n

The experience accumulated by Moroccan cinema gives it a genuine opportunity to contribute to this next stage. Not merely as a national cinema seeking to strengthen its presence across the continent, but as a partner with experience, professional expertise and the ambition to build joint projects. Between Abidjan and Rabat, a wider horizon is emerging: an African cinema capable of sharing stories and skills, producing works that reflect the continent’s diversity and presenting its image to the world through its own perspectives, narratives and creative imagination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Abidjan for the sixth edition of the Moroccan Film Week in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Moroccan filmmaker and producer Khalid Zairi reflects on the future of cinematic cooperation between Morocco and African countries. Looking back at the developments that have strengthened Moroccan cinema\u2019s position across the continent, he highlights the artistic, technical and industrial expertise accumulated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa","category-the-maghreb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5139,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5137\/revisions\/5139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}