Morocco, UK sign agreement to boost cooperation in movie industry

    Signed by Communication Minister and Government Spokesperson, Khalid Naciri and British Film Minister, Sion Simon, the agreement aims to provide film makers with access to a range of benefits including tax breaks, sources of funding and practical support.

    It is expected to come into force in the first half of 2010, after it has been formally ratified by the Moroccan Government. It allows UK films to access distribution networks in Morocco and North Africa.

    "The agreement is a landmark in the evolution of Moroccan-British relations,” Naciri told MAP following the signing ceremony.

    It highlights long-standing relations between the two countries in the field of movie production, the minister said.

    He underlining the agreement will create the conditions for a better partnership between Moroccan and British professionals, adding that it offers a more concrete cooperation framework which is more favorable to the development of these relations.

    “It is both a culmination and a starting point for further stronger relations,” he said.

    For his part, the British Minister underlined that the agreement is “good news” for the two countries, noting that the document will give a new impetus to bilateral relations in the movie making industry.

   “The conclusion of the agreement in ideal conditions witnesses the excellence of relations between the two countries,” he added.

    The UK film and video industry employs around 35,000 people with 21,000 working directly in production.

    The industry produced 111 feature films (with budgets of $ 709k+) in 2008 with a UK production value of $912 million. In 2007 it earned $ 1.6 billion million in export income, of which $ 1 billion was royalties and $635 million production services.