Hosted by Moroccan American Center
 Movie: 7:30 PM followed by reception
Location: Goethe-Institute
 812 Seventh Street NW
Washington DC 20001/ Metro Stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown

Chairs and Contacts: Jean AbiNader:
jabinader@moroccanamericancenter.com
Caitlin Dearing:
cdearing@moroccanamericancenter.com

"How Hollywood became interested in making
movies in Morocco" 
Speaker: Mohamed Abbazi, noted Moroccan Cinematographer 

"The Making of Itto Titrit", one of the pioneer
Amazigh-speaking movies and
a breaking ground experiment in the
exploration of a long-neglected
segment of Moroccan culture.
 
Speaker, Mohamed Abbazi, Director
 Aziz Abbassi, Discussant.

  Morocco at the Movies - a look at Hollywood's fascination with Morocco as a premier film venue Morocco has become a favorite venue for Hollywood movies, and is fast developing its own significant film offerings. The program will feature a retrospective on American films made in Morocco and present two of the latest films from Morocco and the US.

Itto Titrit or Itto the Morning Star

 Film Synopsis

 The movie is set in Morocco's pre-independence days. The whole country is going through turmoil. Liberty is on everyone's lips, young and old, educated and illiterate, Muslims and Jews alike. The people demand that King Mohamed V be returned to the country, and want to decide on their political future.

 A small Middle Atlas hamlet follows with eagerness Third World liberation movements in action... Everyone in the village is dreaming of a better future, be it a government job or an escape to Europe in search of wealth, blonde women, or both.

 Itto Titrit (Morning Star), the little girl who is kept away from school against her wish to be close to her childhood love Bassou --who gets to go to school-also has a dream. She decides to outsmart social taboos established by dominant males, to get her share of freedom like the rest of the country. She does not know what it will cost to challenge the well-established male privileges.

For more info please visit:  www.wmc20.org
Please Rsvp: Hassan@wmc20.org

Event report

A Discussion on the History and Development of Film in Morocco with Mohamed Abbazi and a Preview of his newly released film Itto Titrit

 Introduction

In celebration of the Washington Moroccan Club's 20th anniversary, on March 5^th, the Moroccan American Cultural Center hosted a "Discussion on the History and Development of Film in Morocco with Mohamed Abbazi and a Preview of his newly released film Itto Titrit" at the Goethe-Institute. The event featured Mohamed Abbazi, who spoke about the making of his film and his experiences with film in Morocco, and Aziz Abbassi, who served as a discussant.

Mohamed Abbazi, Director of the Film Itto Titrit, belongs to the first generation of post-independence Moroccan filmmakers and has dedicated his career to promoting Amazigh cinema, exploring the spirit of the Amazigh, and documenting its contribution to civilization. Born in 1938 in Khemisset, Morocco and raised with Amazigh values of tolerance and respect among the Zemmour tribe, Mr. Abbazi chose to pursue film studies in order to immortalize the noble democratic values espoused by Amazigh society and to bring attention to the difficulties of modernization in rural areas of Morocco. After receiving his Bachelors Degree from UCLA's film school in 1966 and graduating from Harvard in 1969, Mr. Abbazi returned to Morocco and dedicated himself to cinema. He has worked in various stages of film production on both Moroccan and foreign films, and played an important role in American film production in Morocco.

 Aziz Abbassi is Senior Linguistics Advisor with Global Linguist Solutions and previously served Associate Professor of Arabic, English and French, and then Dean of Extension Programs at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. He has published a wide variety of articles on language and culture in the Middle East.

Event Overview

The goal of the event was to highlight the contributions that Morocco has made to global cinema and to recognize and showcase the recent achievements of prominent Moroccan filmmakers. Morocco has become a favorite venue for Hollywood movies, and is fast developing its own significant film offerings.

Calvin Dark, of the Moroccan American Cultural Center, opened the event by providing an overview of the activities of the Cultural Center, an organization founded in 2003 as an initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. MACC works to build stronger cultural and educational ties between Morocco and the US through its support of programs that enhance bilateral relations and cooperation. The event thus sought to celebrate those cultural ties and explore an industry and subject matter that is not widely discussed in America.

Mohamed Abbazi opened the discussion portion of the event by offering a retrospective on American films made in Morocco. Abbazi had the opportunity to work on American film sets in Morocco just after graduating from university, and was able to witness firsthand the growth of American filming in Morocco. He underscored that film and other types of cultural exchanges remain an important part of Morocco-US relations; one that is often unrealized since many of the films recorded in Morocco depict other areas of the Middle East. Abbazi stated that Morocco remains a premier destination for filming because of its openness to foreign film crews, its political stability, and its vibrant scenery and culture.

 This openness became really apparent with the arrival of King Mohammed VI to the throne. Mohamed Abbazi and Aziz Abbassi explored this issue in a series of question and answers about the Moroccan film industry and the making of Abbazi's most recent film, Itto Titrit. The panelists recognized the opening of Morocco to the preservation of Amazigh culture, noting that the film could not have been made thirty years ago. Today, the political and cultural climate has greatly expanded and filmmakers like Abbazi have a real way to tell their stories.

 For Abbazi, this means portraying and celebrating Amazigh language and culture through film. Itto Titrit tells the story of a young Amazigh girl and her dream of going to school. Set in Morocco's pre-independence days in the Middle Atlas, the film showcases the political turmoil following the exile of King Mohammed V and the resistance of a small town that dreams of liberty and freedom for Morocco. Addressing themes of religious tolerance, Amazigh language and culture, and the role of women, the film represents a milestone in Moroccan cinema as it is one of the first films shot completely in Tamazight by a Tamazight cast and production crew. The themes evoked in Itto Titrit - the education of women in Amazigh society, the culture of religious tolerance in Morocco, the importance of Amazigh culture to modern Morocco - represent an important part of Morocco's past, as well as its future.

 The panel discussion was followed by a full screening of the film Itto Titrit, and a reception with Moroccan cookies and mint tea.

 Observation

The event was attended by over eighty people from the Moroccan American Community. The event was quite lively and the audience remained beyond the end of the screening and reception. Mohamed Abbazi provided an excellent overview of the American film industry in Morocco, and he and Aziz Abbassi had a fascinating conversation about the opening of the film industry in Morocco and the making of the film Itto Titrit. Al Aoula covered the event and aired a brief video of the event on its Tamazight language channel, including interviews with Mohamed Abbazi, Aziz Abbassi, and several members of the audience.

The event was important for MACC because it presented a real opportunity to showcase the work of a Moroccan filmmaker as a means of highlighting how open the film industry, and thereby the society has become. Thanks to a series of programs, initiatives, and official government support, led by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has greatly increased the awareness, recognition, and preservation of Amazigh culture, language, and history.

The event similarly provided members of the Moroccan-American community with a venue for celebrating their cultural heritage in a fun and relaxing atmosphere. MACC was honored to host such an event to bring the community together in celebration of the Washington Moroccan Club and what it represents. Following the event, the film went on to win the award for best film at the Amazigh Film Festival, held from March 15^th - March 20^th in Tizi Ouzou, highlighting just how well-received the film was among the Amazigh community and validating the importance of promoting Moroccan cinema and Amazigh culture in the US.