Morocco has hosted international film shoots for decades. Argan Studios now aims to take the next step: not merely providing landscapes, crews and sought-after light, but bringing together on one site the different functions that sustain an audiovisual industry.
The project announced between Rabat and Casablanca covers around 80 hectares and represents an investment of nearly €70 million. Its ambition goes beyond building stages: it is expected to include post-production facilities, a training campus, accommodation and services for professionals.
From filming territory to value chain
For decades, Morocco’s comparative advantage has rested on the diversity of its landscapes, proximity to Europe, experienced technicians and competitive costs. Ouarzazate became the symbol of that model.
But hosting a shoot does not necessarily mean capturing the full economic value of a film. A large share of creative decision-making, editing, visual effects, sound, distribution and intellectual property can remain abroad.
Argan Studios is designed to reduce this fragmentation. The aim is to enable productions to prepare, shoot, edit and complete more stages in Morocco.
The Ouarzazate Cinema Museum reflects the long relationship between Moroccan territory and major productions. The new project seeks to write a more industrial and integrated chapter of that history.
Training will be the real test
Sound stages are impressive, but an ecosystem is ultimately judged by the quality of the skills it can mobilise. Production management, set design, costume, lighting, location work, editing, animation, visual effects, sound, writing and executive production each require specialised training and regular practice.
The announced campus will therefore need to avoid two pitfalls: training only for the short-term needs of foreign productions, or offering programmes that are too theoretical and disconnected from production realities.
Success will depend on long-term partnerships with schools, Moroccan professionals, African producers and platforms. The Cinémathèque de Tanger already demonstrates how one venue can connect film exhibition, memory and learning. Argan Studios will need to add a strong professional dimension.
An opportunity for African stories
A large technical complex does not automatically guarantee a greater diversity of stories. It can become an efficient rental facility without changing African creators’ access to funding, writing and distribution.
The project will therefore need to reserve space for Moroccan and African productions: first films, documentaries, series, animation, digital formats and regional co-productions.
Residencies, script development, mentoring and shared resources could turn the infrastructure into a genuine creation platform. This would complement existing initiatives for young talent in the cultural and creative industries.
The risk of overdependence on foreign shoots
International productions bring jobs, visibility and foreign currency. They are also sensitive to tax policy, geopolitical tension, platform schedules and competition from other territories.
For the model to become sustainable, it must serve several markets: Moroccan cinema, African productions, international series, advertising, platform content, post-production and continuing education.
Governance will also be decisive. Access criteria, prices, transparent partnerships and openness to independent producers will determine whether Argan Studios acts as a catalyst or becomes an enclave reserved for the most powerful productions.
A new ambition for Moroccan cinema
The announced timetable provides for a first studio from 2027 and gradual expansion through 2030. Until then, the debate should focus less on the size of the buildings than on the value created locally.
How many permanent jobs? How many technicians trained? What share of post-production completed in Morocco? How many African films supported? What place for independent companies and for women in technical and decision-making roles?
Argan Studios could become strategic infrastructure. Its success will be measured by its ability to make Morocco a place where films are not only shot, but conceived, produced, completed and owned.
