- Title: MOROCCO: Outside the studio lights, film extras lead a life of poverty
- Date: 13th July 2010
- Summary: RABAT, MOROCCO (JULY 3, 2010) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET WITH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL BANNER IN BACKGROUND CLOSEUP OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL BANNER WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, READING: "SUPPORT OUR FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERED IN OUTDOOR AREA WAITING TO GO INSIDE CINEMA SIGN OUTSIDE CINEMA WRITTEN IN ARABIC, READING: "THE 7TH ART" AUDIENCE MEMBERS WAITING OUTSIDE THEATRE MOHAMED SEKTAOUI, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF MOROCCAN SECTION OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, ADDRESSING AUDIENCE BANNER FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ABOUT ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMED SEKTAOUI, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF MOROCCAN SECTION OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, SAYING: "We decided to make this film as an opportunity to shed light on the situation of the poor in Morocco and poor creative people. We also decided to present this issue through the eyes of young creative people." FILM DIRECTOR, RABII AL-JAWAHIRY, TALKING TO MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RABII AL-JAWAHIRY, DIRECTOR OF "THE SILENCE'S ECHO", SAYING: "'The Silence's Echo came to turn the tables and shed light on these actors who live behind the Tichka Mountains -- they are hidden behind these mountains in the same way their pictures have been from the public. They live-off of the cinema but people do not know of them. They have made great films, really famous ones that were recognised in the Cannes Festival and in Hollywood festivals and were widely watched all over the world, but these actors were never recognised."
- Embargoed: 28th July 2010 13:34
- Keywords:
- Location: Morocco
- Country: Morocco
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVACCS6MVW0GG6IDKEDUMD7E9UQT
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: For most people around the world, a film is a source of entertainment or a cultural or social activity, but in Ouarzazat they are also a source of income, which in most cases does not cover the bare living necessities for the film extras and their families.
This was the premise of an initiative taken by the Moroccan branch of Amnesty International, which sponsored a documentary called "The Silence's Echo" directed by Rabii Al-Jawhari, a young Moroccan director.
The film highlights the dilemma of temporary fame for working class families in the Moroccan film industry, particularly focusing on the plight of film extras.
At the film's first screening in Rabat on Saturday (July 3), Mohamed Sektaoui, the director-general of Amnesty International in Morocco, said the film is told from the perspective of young people.
"We decided to make this film as an opportunity to shed light on the situation of the poor in Morocco and poor creative people. We also decided to present this issue through the eyes of young creative people," he said.
The film is part of an Amnesty International programme to raise awareness about poverty faced by the majority of human beings.
The 52-minute documentary follows the daily life of a boy named Maher who seeks work as a film extra. When he earns a handful of Moroccan dirhams, he hands them directly to his mother to pay rent for the room they share. The film also portrays a woman who once performed many successful roles in countless films but was always paid close to nothing. Another key character is an old man who has been building his modest house since 1962 out of the money he receives from working as a film extra. The question he is asking himself is, "When, if ever, will he finish building his house?"
Director, Rabii al-Jawhary, said the film focuses on people who live in the shadows.
"The Silence's Echo' came to turn the tables and shed light on these actors who live behind the Tichka Mountains -- they are hidden behind these mountains in the same way their pictures have been from the public. They live-off of the cinema but people do not know of them. They have made great films, really famous ones that were recognised in the Cannes Festival and in Hollywood festivals and were widely watched all over the world, but these actors were never recognised," he said.
Located at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazat houses a hub of studios, which has given it the nickname, "Hollywood of Morocco".
This is where all the big sets are built, where Academy Award winning directors including Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott have worked.
Films like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" as well as more recent Hollywood blockbusters such as "Gladiator", "Black Hawk Down" and "Kingdom of Heaven" were all partly filmed in Morocco, making use of its desert landscape, skilled film crews and film extras. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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