Risky and Unauthorized Migrations: A View From Moroccan Cinema (1958–2015) Main Narrative Approaches and Features

Abstract

This study explores certain features of cinema on Moroccan migration, focusing on the case study of risky and unauthorized migrations. The main objective is to determine the most recurrent narrative, aesthetic, contextual and cultural parameters when dealing with this sociological phenomenon in a sample of 17 films about migration included in the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre’s catalogue. The methodology, including both quantitative and qualitative, includes in-depth interviews conducted to ten different Moroccan directors. We approach the migration phenomenon in cinema from the theoretical perspective of social controversy. Our findings confirm that context plays an important role in Moroccan cinema, since storylines illustrate the personal circumstances of protagonists. The rationale behind the migration of the protagonists often lie beyond subsistence economy. On the other hand, the patera (Spanish term for fragile migrant boats) drama is not depicted realistically, using metaphors and allusions instead. Scepticism, rather than victimization, and hope, rather than despair, profile the approach of the main themes.