Transnational Moroccan Cinema by Higbee, Will; Martin, Florence;

Short description:

Explores the global reach of Moroccan cinema.

Long description:

Since the early 2000s, Moroccan cinema has emerged as a major force in the Maghreb and African cinema, driven by digital technologies, international collaborations and co-production, and a focus on authentic storytelling.

This edited collection explores the complexities of Moroccan cinema's transnational dimensions, moving beyond a purely postcolonial framework to examine its global impact, political significance and diverse influences.

Featuring contributions from leading international scholars in African, Arab and transnational cinema studies, alongside film critics, educators and filmmakers from Morocco, the collection analyses cinema production, distribution and reception within global networks, highlighting the dynamic interplay between local contexts and international trends.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgements

List of images

Contributor Bios

Introduction - Will Higbee and Florence Martin

Part I. Transnational Dimensions of Moroccan Cinema – Industry and Audiences

1. Metamorphoses of Early Moroccan Cinema and the Commutation of Inequalities - Viola Shafik

2. Mocro Movies in the Netherlands: Embedding the diaspora in a small nation - Arne Saeys

3. ‘We can’t wait for the audience to come to us!’ an industry roundtable with Lamia Chraïbi, Hakim Belabbès, and Nour-Eddine Lakhmari - Will Higbee

4. Laughter in the balcony, tears in the stalls: in defence of the Moroccan spectator - Nadir Bouhmouch

Part II. Women at the Vanguard of Transnational Moroccan Cinema

5. Silence and Statelessness in Narjiss Nejjar’s Apatride (2018) - Kaya Davies-Hayon

6. National and Transnational Circulation of Films by Moroccan Women Filmmakers: Different Strategies for Achieving Visibility - Patricia Caillé

7. Adventures of a transnational African distributor: an interview with Izza Génini - Will Higbee and Florence Martin

8. Women’s Cinemas in Morocco: a round table with Farida Benlyazid, Lamia Chraïbi and Sofia Elkhyari - Florence Martin

Part III. Transnational Auteurs Ahead of Their Times

9. A Transnational Story of Re-Storing: A Door to the Sky (1989) by Farida Benlyazid - Will Higbee, Florence Martin and Stefanie Van de Peer

10. “If Western viewers do not open up to our films, they are closing themselves off”: an interview with Ahmed El Maanouni - Will Higbee and Florence Martin

11. Moumen Smihi’s Transnational Moroccan Experiments: Essaying an Itinerant Arab Cinema in Cairo - Peter Limbrick

Part IV. Film Education and Film Criticism in Morocco

12. “A documentary filmmaker sees what others don’t”: an interview with Professor Hamid Aidouni - Will Higbee and Florence Martin

13. Film criticism in Morocco, the history of a permanent struggle - Rachid Naim

14. Ahmed Boughaba’s View and Review - Ahmed Boughaba

Epilogue: Moroccan Cinema After the Pandemic – an interview with Lamia Chraïbi - Will Higbee and Florence Martin

Bibliography

Index