Is there a cinema or film scene to enjoy in Morocco?

Yes, and it runs deeper than most visitors realise. Morocco has been Hollywood's favourite backlot for decades — Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, countless others were shot here. The epicentre is Ouarzazate, nicknamed the Hollywood of Africa, on the edge of the desert. You can actually tour Atlas Film Studios and the larger CLA Studios and walk through standing sets of Roman streets, Egyptian temples, and biblical cities. There's a quirky museum of cinema there too. For film buffs it's a genuine pilgrimage, and it pairs perfectly with the kasbah of Aït Benhaddou nearby, itself a screen legend.

On the festival side, the Marrakech International Film Festival is the big cultural event — a glamorous, A-list affair every winter that screens world cinema and draws major directors and stars, with some open-air public screenings on the Jemaa el-Fnaa square. If your trip lines up with it, it's a wonderful thing to dip into. Smaller festivals happen elsewhere across the year, and Moroccan cinema itself has a strong, increasingly visible voice.

For just catching a film, the cities are well covered. Modern multiplexes in the malls of Casablanca, Marrakech, and Rabat — including the IMAX at Morocco Mall — show current international releases, usually in original version with subtitles or dubbed into French. More romantic are the surviving historic cinemas: Casablanca's grand old picture palaces and Tangier's beautifully restored Cinéma Rif on the Grand Socco, an art-house institution and a lovely spot for a coffee even if you don't see a film.

So whether you want behind-the-scenes movie magic, a glittering festival, or just an air-conditioned evening with popcorn, it's all here. I most often build in the Ouarzazate studios as part of a desert route — you're driving through anyway over the Atlas to the dunes, and the studios plus Aït Benhaddou make a brilliant, characterful day. We handle the studio entries and a guide who knows which films used which set.