Meeting on the sidelines of the 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival, the two officials agreed to ensure greater distribution of Moroccan cinema in Italy, thus opening the way to new horizons for the rich Moroccan cinematographic heritage beyond its borders.
In a statement to MAP, Mr. Bouzdaini, also Secretary General of the Department of Communication, said that this cooperation concerns the acquisition by Italy of Moroccan productions, which date from before 2022, and the distribution of films restored in the CCM laboratories, whose release dates back to the 1950s, including the feature film “Spring Sun” by filmmaker Latif Lahlou.
In this context, Mr. Bouzdaini specified that the dubbing of these national productions in Italian will be ensured by the production, distribution and film purchasing company belonging to the Rai group, to make national culture and cinema known in Italy, while addressing a strong Moroccan, Maghreb and Arab community established in this European country.
This meeting, Mr. Bouzdaini pointed out, follows a first interview with the Italian official on the occasion of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which focused on ways to strengthen cooperation and cultural and professional links between Morocco and Italy and to open the way to new opportunities for bilateral collaboration in the cinematographic and artistic fields.
For his part, Mr. Gentile welcomed, in a similar statement, the growth of Moroccan cinema, noting that the objective of this bilateral cooperation is to make this cinema better known in Italy through the broadcasting of films on television channels, participation in festivals as well as the organization of cultural events such as Moroccan cinema weeks in Italy.
Mr. Gentile also specified that in order to bring Italian spectators closer to Moroccan productions, the latter will be screened with subtitles or with dubbing provided.
He also mentioned the organization of meetings between producers from both countries with a view to establishing co-productions, while carrying out reconnaissance in Morocco, which is full of extraordinary landscapes and settings, for the filming of future productions.
A large Moroccan delegation, chaired by Mr. Bouzdaini, is present at the Venice Film Festival, which is being held from August 28 to September 7.
2024-09-02 07:40:27