The Moroccan government is launching construction of a major new film production hub called the International Cinema City in Ouarzazate, in southern Morocco, known to Hollywood directors as the perfect set for epics such as Ridley Scott‘s “Gladiator 2.”
The flagship project, led by Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, officially kicked off on June 27 on a 24-acre site located at the main entrance of Ouarzazate, with direct access to the city’s National Road 9 (RN9) and Mohammed V Avenue.
Conceived as a one-stop-shop filming facility, the new Moroccan studio complex between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara “will offer an integrated ecosystem covering the full film production value chain, including production, post-production, outdoor shooting, innovation, training, distribution, administrative services, and accommodations,” according to a statement. The statement quantified the Moroccan government’s investment in the Ouarzazate cinema city at 240 million Moroccan Dirhams, which is more than $25 million.
The Ouarzazate cinema city will feature a still-unspecified number of state-of-the-art sound stages, post-production labs, editing and screening rooms, plus a space dedicated to immersive technologies and artificial intelligence applied to filmmaking, the statement said.
The Moroccan filming facility will also include a training and talent incubation hub, as well as a hotel complex intended to host both national and international production teams. The training hub is considered crucial to boost the skills of local crews, including in areas such as post-production and visual effects, and to foster innovation “within the country’s cultural and creative industries,” the statement noted.
The plan for Morocco’s spanking new studios is part of an ongoing push by the government to sustain growth of the country’s film industry. In 2025, foreign investment in productions shot in Morocco reached roughly $130 million, the statement said.
The country offers a 30% rebate, VAT tax exemption, up to 80% equipment rental discount, and hefty discounts on hotels.
Morocco’s ambition is to no longer to merely host location-based shoots, but to be able to provide producers, studios and streamers with the entire production value chain, at a time of rapid growth in this sector due to an increase in runaway productions from the U.S. due to cheaper costs and more generous tax incentives elsewhere.
Morocco recently welcomed productions such as “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Nicolas Cage’s “Lord of War” sequel, and French historical epic “De Gaulle: Résistance.” Past productions shot at least partly in Morocco include “Game of Thrones” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
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