Morocco: A Cinematic Canvas - Unveiling Movies Filmed in the Kingdom

Morocco's vibrant landscapes and rich culture have long captivated filmmakers, making it a sought-after backdrop for numerous memorable films. From the bustling souks of Marrakech to the sweeping dunes of the Sahara, this North African gem offers filmmakers a tapestry of stunning visuals and atmospheric settings that enhance storytelling. One of the most popular film studios outside of Hollywood is in Morocco. There’s a good chance that if you’ve seen a desert movie in the last 10-15 years it was filmed in Morocco.

As a movie buff, discovering the real-world locations of favorite films adds an extra layer of excitement. The Eiffel Tower isn’t just a photograph any more. I had lunch (on a dreary wet day) looking at it. Hagia Sophia is no longer a photo in picture books or on film - it’s a place I know.

There are a surprisingly large number of movies filmed in Morocco - it works well for movies in Arab and middle eastern settings, a place which is safe, includes desert, mountains as well as beaches, ocean, and the sea. It offers locations which fit culturally and are within easy reach of each other, and Morocco has made the paperwork far less of a logistical nightmare than the previous favourite - Egypt.

Meanwhile, besides the medinas including Tangier’s where many movies have been located - they were filming the next Indiana Jones in Fes in December, 2021!!!! - the Hollywood of Morocco is in the desert near Marrakech in a place called Ouarzazate. The beautiful beach town of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast is also frequently used for film locations.

Series which have also been filmed here notably include The Game of Thrones which has many scenes set in Essaouira, and Ait Ben-haddou near Ouarzazate. The Spy, based on Israel’s most prominent spy, Eli Cohen (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) was filmed in locations in Rabat, Kenitra (the train change when I go to Fes) and Fes. Also the excellent series Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston was filmed in Morocco. This is set around the revolution in Egypt and based on a book by spy-thriller writer John le Carre. The Wheel of Time movie trilogy series from the books by Robert Jordan is filming part of season 2 in Ouarzazate.

Here are some favorite movies of mine, all of which were filmed at least partly in Morocco.

List of movies filmed in Morocco

1. Spy Game (2001)

This is a brilliant spy story which really works on dual themes. Nathan (Brad Pitt) is in trouble in China, while his CIA boss Robert Redford battles for him on the home front in Washington, and through it tells Nathan’s recruit story. The Beirut scenes were filmed in Casablanca, and the Vietnam scenes were an oasis near Ouarzazate, Morocco’s Hollywood located in the desert nearMarrakech.

2. Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The third movie of the Bourne Identity ones, starring the underrated Matt Damon. Matt Damon’s tortured, globe-trotting spy finds his way to Tangier in the Bourne series’ third entry. Gran Cafe de Paris, opposite the French embassy, and little changed since this photo was taken. Perhaps more western dress, and the cars aren’t quite as cool.

3. Sahara (2005)

I love Matthew McConaughey - this is the movie where I got to know him, being a fan of Clive Cussler’s earlier books (yes - this is the sort of stuff I write - action adventure mysteries seated in real history, and travelling across different countries and cultures). It was partly set in Ait Ben-Haddou near Ouarzazate. And also of course, Penelope Cruz.

Read also: Faith-Based Movies

4. The Mummy (1999)

I love, love, love this movie, love Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weis. It’s a remake of two earlier series - one made in the 1940s, and one through the 1960s. The 1999 movie was filmed in the Sahara near the desert city of Merzouga near the Algerian border.

5. The Jewel on the Nile (1985)

I loved Romancing the Stone where I first ‘met’ Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner, so this one gets included. Also starring Danny DeVito, it was filmed in Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou, and Meknes near Fes, an even older capital than the old capital of Fes.

6. Inception (2010)

Wow. What a movie! Directed by Christopher Nolan, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine. This watershed mind-bending thriller from Christopher Nolan takes place everywhere and nowhere. In it, a dream extraction team - including Leonardo DiCaprio, Elliot Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy - infiltrates the subconscious to find profitable intelligence. There are scenes in the souks of Tangier - in Souk Barra at Grand Socco at the top of the old medina where I shop almost daily.

7. Allied (2016)

WWII movie with Brad Pitt, a thriller about a spy, directed by Robert Zemeckis. A nice little story about a happy couple takes an interesting turn when the spy played by Brad Pitt is told that they think his wife is a German spy and his assignment is to kill her if this is true. Filmed in Casablanca.

8. The Unknown Saint (2019)

An intriguing story line - this one is actually set in Morocco - not just filmed here. With the police hot on his tail, a thief buries his stolen goods on a hilltop and makes it look like a grave before they catch up with him. Years later when he gets out of jail he goes back to claim his treasure, only to discover that it’s now a revered pilgrimage site to ‘an unkown saint’. Filmed in Marrakech.

Read also: Nigerian Film History

9. Hologram for a King (2016)

Not a well-known movie, but Tom Hanks will always get me in. Set in Saudi Arabia, a businessman is trying to make a deal in a culture he doesn’t understand. Based on a book written in 2012, the city is a blend of Morocco’s capital city Rabat, Casablanca, and Laayoune, another Atlantic coastal city.

10. Queen of the Desert (2015)

Starring Nicole Kidman - an actress who I think has received a lot of unfair bad publicity. I think she’s an amazing actress. This less well-known movie is based on a true story about Gertrude Bell, an English writer, traveler, spy and archaeologist in the middle east around 1900 when little was understood about the area by the western world. Her path crossed with that of T.E. Lawrence whose story is told in Lawrence of Arabia. Much of the movie was filmed in the desert in Merzouga as well as Erfoud near it, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou.

11. The Man Who would be King (1975)

I watched this many years ago - probably not long after it was released, lol, and before I knew who Sean Connery and Michael Caine were. It was filmed in Ouarzazate, originally a story by Rudyard Kipling about two adventurers.

12. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Filmed by Martin Scorsese, with Willem Dafoe and David Bowie, it was filmed entirely in Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains, and the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis near Meknes (near Fes). Volubilis was a Berber-Roman city established in the 3rd century BCE. Naturally, the movie was controversial. It portrayed Jesus as a real person with normal human conflicts.

13. Ishtar (1987)

With Dustin Hoffman. This may not have been a brilliant movie, but I still remember it and think of it whenever I think of Morocco. Two New York singers get booked into a Marrakech hotel for a gig, but end up caught up in a plot to overthrow a powerful leader in Ishtar. Filmed in Marrakech.

14. Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Not what I’d rave about as a brilliant movie, but I enjoyed (most of) the series, and this was part of it. The Sarah Jessica Parker-starring HBO series, and its first movie incarnation, are inextricably linked to New York City. However, the 2010 sequel sees the Manhattan foursome of friends take a lavish vacation to Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates refused production access, so Morocco filled in for the UAE. And it was filmed in Marrakech.

15. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

With Tom Cruise - a great actor, and another favourite, Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shawn of the Dead).

16. Rock the Kasbah (2015)

Bill Murray, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel and Bruce Willis. A strange little Bill Murray movie (ok, so most of his movies are a bit offbeat) about a has-been music producer making a new discovery when he becomes stranded in Afghanistan. I couldn’t find the locations used in Morocco.

17. Hanna (2011)

This stars Eric Bana (an Australian, an excellent actor, and originally a comedian who I watched extensively on the comedy show Full Frontal, the excellent comedy movie The Castle about people fighting back when they are kicked out of their homes for an airport extension, biography of a major crime figure in Chopper, and the movies Munich and Troy), and Cate Blanchett, also an Australian actor, in a heap of movies. A 16-year-old girl has been raised in isolation in Finland to be an assassin. As she is chased across Europe she learns some strange details about herself which question who she really is. In Morocco, filmed in the beautiful beach town of Essaouira.

18. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Directed by Jerry Buckheimer. with Jake Gyllenhall. Filmed in Marrakech and Ouarzazate. A prince and princess in medieval Persia have to save the world from a villain wanting to use a dagger containing sands with the power to reverse time.

19. Contagion (2011)

With cast including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne and Gwyneth Paltrow, filmed in Casablanca. The title explains it all - I believe the word means something like a pandemic. Lol. I watched it before 2020, and thought it was a good movie.

20. Whisky Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Set in Afghanistan, filmed in Ouarzazate, it is based on the true story of a journalist in a man’s world looking for a rather dramatic change of scene. An atypical vehicle for star Tina Fey, this 2016 true-event-inspired film relates the personal and professional trials of war reporter Kim Baker. Largely set in Afghanistan, the film was mostly shot around Albuquerque.

Blockbusters like Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia famously took scenes from Morocco’s breathtaking landscape, but many other unexpected movies have also been filmed here.

The movies featured in our list not only showcase Morocco’s diverse beauty but also weave its cultural and historical elements into their narratives, providing viewers with a deeper connection to the locale. Each film selected stands out for its ability to transport audiences while maintaining authentic Moroccan ambiance. Whether it's through thrilling plots, intricate character development, or simply breathtaking cinematography, these movies capture the essence of Morocco in ways that resonate with viewers around the world.

Here are some films which you might not know were made in Morocco: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Man Who Would Be King (1945), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Alexander (2004), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Babel (2006), Sex and the City 2 (2010), American Sniper (2014), Prison Break (TV) (2016), and the list goes on!

Despite its title, the classic romance movie Casablanca was not filmed in Casablanca (meaning white house), nor did it involve any Moroccans. It was entirely shot in Warner Bros Studios in California, except an opening scene in a Los Angeles airport.

Here's a table summarizing some of the notable movies and TV series filmed in Morocco, highlighting the diverse locations used:

Popular articles:

• Celebrating Mothers in Ghana
• Orlando's Morning Show: Chad and Leslye
• African Pride Leave-In Cream: Does it work?
• Top Abuja Accommodation
• San Francisco Moroccan Food Guide