The ABC cinema in Casablanca, which was built in 1948, was forced to shut down in 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic. All photos by AFP
The ABC cinema in Casablanca, which was built in 1948, was forced to shut down in 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic. All photos by AFP
Yahla Yahla, who worked as a projectionist in Morocco for 35 years, at the empty Le Rif cinema in Casablanca.
Yahla Yahla, who worked as a projectionist in Morocco for 35 years, at the empty Le Rif cinema in Casablanca.
Despite nine million dirhams of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography, which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis.
Despite nine million dirhams of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography, which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis.
A man carries a bag of merchandise at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A man carries a bag of merchandise at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Al-Malaki cinema was commissioned by King Mohammed V in the 1940s, but now lies closed and derelict.
Al-Malaki cinema was commissioned by King Mohammed V in the 1940s, but now lies closed and derelict.
A man sits between boxes piled up at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A man sits between boxes piled up at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
'I have unforgettable memories from that cinema. I learned my trade there,' says Yahla Yahla, recalling working at the Regent theatre in Meknes.
'I have unforgettable memories from that cinema. I learned my trade there,' says Yahla Yahla, recalling working at the Regent theatre in Meknes.
Today, only 27 theatres remain open across Morocco, which has a population of of 37 million.
Today, only 27 theatres remain open across Morocco, which has a population of of 37 million.

Culture

Film

Only 27 cinemas remain open in Morocco, as Casablanca's ramshackle theatres shut

Enthusiasts are calling for better protection for the buildings, architectural treasures that bear witness to the North African country's love for movies in the past

AFP

February 03, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

They won't be playing it again at this Casablanca cinema. Rabi Derraj gazed despondently at the ramshackle 1940s movie house, its doors blocked by discarded mannequins from the nearby market.

"There's no hope any more. This cinema is dead," said its longtime security guard.

Al-Malaki once seated more than 1,000 moviegoers, but like theatres across Morocco, it lies closed and derelict.

Enthusiasts are calling for better protection for the buildings, architectural treasures that bear witness to the North African kingdom's past.

Al-Malaki cinema in Casablanca has become the dumping ground of the neighbouring market of Derb Sultan. AFP
Al-Malaki cinema in Casablanca has become the dumping ground of the neighbouring market of Derb Sultan. AFP

Al-Malaki, "the Royal" in Arabic, was commissioned by King Mohammed V in the 1940s as a grandiose riposte to cinemas reserved for citizens of colonial power France.

The 1942 Hollywood classic Casablanca, featuring piano-player Sam, is set in the city. But decades later, the cinema building has become a dumping ground for goods from the surrounding market in the working-class Derb Sultan neighbourhood.

"It's tragic. You can't measure the historical importance of this cinema," said Derraj, who has spent almost half of his 42 years as its guard.

In front of the ticket office, a TV almost blocks a list of prices, one of the few indications of the building's function until it closed in 2016.

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Like audiences in other countries around the world where historic theatres have also shuttered, Moroccans have turned to streaming services at home, a trend amplified by the coronavirus pandemic.

A hundred or so theatres face a similar fate to Al-Malaki's – crumbling for years until they are finally demolished.

Morocco's first cinemas were built by the French, who had established a protectorate over the country in 1912. But it was in the 1940s that theatres were built for Moroccans themselves, setting up a golden age of the silver screen which lasted into the early 1990s.

"The Moroccans had a love affair with cinema," said Francois Beaurain, a French photographer who has produced a book on the subject. "But television, VHS tapes and today streaming have killed that love."

One victim of the trend was the Regent cinema in the northern city of Meknes, a baroque-style theatre built in the 1920s.

A man sits between boxes piled up at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A man sits between boxes piled up at the entrance of the "Al Malaki" cinema, located in the heart of the market in the working-class neighbourhood of Derb Sultan, in the western Moroccan city of Casablanca, on January 24, 2022. - During the coronavirus pandemic, cinemas across Morocco were closed for over a year before reopening in July 2021. But despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Its demolition was a tragedy for Yahla Yahla, who had been its projectionist for 35 years.

"It was very hard for me. It even made me sick," said the sharply-dressed retiree, now in his seventies. "I have unforgettable memories from that cinema. I learned my trade there."

And the closure of the Regent was just the start of his woes. Yahla went on to work at two other cinemas – but by 2020 both had shut.

"The younger generation don't understand the value of cinema," he said.

Today, only 27 theatres remain open across the country of 37 million. They also rely heavily on state funding for renovations and for digitising films.

Casablanca's Le Rif is one of those still in operation. Built in 1957, its walls are lined with purple velvet that contrasts with its 950 red fabric seats.

What's the point in listing buildings as historic if the authorities don't do anything to protect them?
Hassan Belkady,
cinema owner

"It's a unique cinema, but I can't hide my concern – the situation's getting harder and harder," said owner Hassan Belkady, 63.

And the coronavirus pandemic may have delivered the knockout blow: cinemas across Morocco went dark for more than a year before reopening in July 2021.

Despite nine million dirhams ($960,000) of funding for the Moroccan Centre for Cinematography, which promotes and regulates film, the industry is struggling to extract itself from the crisis.

Belkady said that since 2020, he had been forced to close two other cinemas in the country's commercial capital – the ABC theatre, built in 1948, and the Ritz from 1950.

Some of the buildings are officially listed, meaning they cannot be demolished.

But, Belkady asks, "What's the point in listing buildings as historic if the authorities don't do anything to protect them?"

"It's urgent to mobilise, and to act before it's too late."

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

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Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS

JOURNALISM 

Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica

Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.

Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times

Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post

Local Reporting  
Staff of The Baltimore Sun

National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica

and    

Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times

International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times

Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker

Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times

Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times

Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press

Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker

Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters

Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press

Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”

LETTERS AND DRAMA

Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)

Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson

History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)

Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)

Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)

General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

and

"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)

Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019

Special Citation
Ida B. Wells

 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Updated: February 03, 2022, 9:56 AM`
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