Today, everyone knows about the beach benefits of Dakhla, the pearl of the south. Much less known is its potential to become a top cultural destination. In this first part of our conversation with Zine El Abidine Charafeddine, president of the Association for Cultural and Artistic Animation in the southern provinces, we will reveal what will make Dakhla the new focal point of cultural and tourist animation in the coming years.

As head of the Dakhla International Film Festival since its inception in 2008, Zine El Abidine Charafeddine is a local figure who has been working for more than a decade to promote the cultural image of the city and the region. For Médias24, he discusses the potential that makes this leading tourist destination also a major cultural and cinematographic destination.

Zine El Abidine Charafeddine: The Dakhla International Film Festival is indeed in its 12th edition. When we started this adventure [in 2008, ed.], Dakhla was an emerging destination. The idea of making Dakhla a tourist destination was still in development. At that time, there was another festival, which was very important: the Dakhla Music Festival. The new generation of musicians from the Moroccan scene participated in it. So initially, we started working on both aspects: cinema and music. This dynamic had an extraordinary impact on the attractiveness of the city and the region, as more and more people discovered Dakhla thanks to the artists who were, in a way, ambassadors. Many fell for the charm of the city, and that’s where the real dynamic started, thanks to word of mouth.

“While filming the Moroccan movie, we realized that there is a natural setting that does not exist anywhere else in Morocco.”

• Ouarzazate is today the indispensable Moroccan destination for filming American blockbusters. Could Dakhla pursue the same success in the future, maybe even more?
  
  
• When we launched the first edition of the festival, we had two goals: the first was to bring cinema closer to the residents of Dakhla. Bringing people together, then watching movies, creates a kind of animation in the city. But the main goal was to train the young people of the city in film professions, through the Moroccan Cinematographic Center, which supports young people in producing films. This means that we will have locally qualified technicians in the field of sound, image, camera, etc. It is important to train young people in technical professions in the film industry because this lays the foundation for attracting international productions that require specialized and qualified labor. They demand, first and foremost, quality infrastructure, but they are also interested in technicians in this field. What is good about Dakhla is that you can film the sea and the Sahara without having to move.

“We don’t have to move to go from a Saharan environment to a seafront.”

• Have you already received requests in this regard?
  
  
• Last year, part of an American production was filmed here. In February 2024, the city hosted the filming of a Moroccan movie. Many music videos and television series have also been filmed here. We can say that this is just the beginning. We all need to realize that cinema is not just entertainment; it is an industry that can benefit the city, particularly in terms of job creation. Cinema can truly be a vector of development. And there is potential: while filming the Moroccan movie, we realized that there is a natural setting that does not exist anywhere else in Morocco. Moreover, the proximity ensures that we don’t have to move to go from a Saharan environment to a seafront. With all this potential and the ongoing development dynamics, I am sure that Dakhla will welcome major global productions in the future.

“Dakhla is a tourist destination both for travelers looking for a refuge and for those seeking strong sensations and adventures.”

• What does Dakhla and its region offer to enhance this attraction both touristically and cinematographically?
  
  
• As you know, the city has enormous potential. On a natural and scenic level, it is the blending of the sea and the desert. It is a tourist destination for travelers looking for a refuge and for those seeking strong sensations and adventures, with all water sports activities. Travelers also come from all over the world. Dakhla is on its way to becoming one of the main tourist capitals in Morocco, like Fez, Marrakech, or Essaouira. The city today has quality infrastructure, which is continuously being improved. There is even a public development company established for the local development of the city.

MEDIA24