US-based motion picture company Warner Bros. recently canceled plans to film battle scenes for upcoming blockbuster ‘Troy’ in Morocco. According to the firm, filming was halted because international insurance companies refused to provide coverage in the event of a US-led military campaign on Iraq.
Filming at Moroccan movie facilities and on location in the Atlas Mountains has proven profitable for the North African country. Production Manager at the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), Abdel Kader Al-Halawi, said most Hollywood productions are now pulling out of Morocco and he fears that European production companies will join the movement, reported UPI.
Aware of the industry’s importance to the economy, Moroccan authorities have recently made efforts to lift administrative hurdles for international companies required to obtain production permits. They also instituted a system of incentives, including a reduction of up to 50 percent from travel fares and hotels.
“Despite a severe recession after September 11, the film industry has recently generated $154 million for Morocco, and will surpass that amount this year,” Halawi told Daily Star. The industry also provides some 80,000 local jobs. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
