Doha Film Institute Pioneers Series Lab As MENA Indie Film Producers Push Into Drama In Untapped Region
deadline.comLamia Chraibi is one of Morocco’s best-known indie film producers whose credits include Mica, about a boy from the slums who is discovered to have a talent for tennis, and Sitges prize-winning horror Achoura as well as co-producing 2016 Cannes Critics’ Week winner Las Mimosas.
The Franco-Moroccan producer, who works under the banner of La Prod in Casablanca and Moons a Deal in Paris, is now attempting to break into drama series.
It is a transition that has been tried and tested by indie film producers in Europe and North America but is less common in the Middle East and North Africa.
Chraibi is giving it a shot in the belief that North African drama could eventually enjoy the same popularity as the non-English language shows out of Scandinavia, Turkey or South Korea. “I’m convinced that they could seduce audiences in the same way,” she says. “Language and origin of a series is no longer an issue, if anything, there’s an appetite to see stories set in other worlds and once a series from a certain region takes off, people will seek out other series from that region.” A game-changer, she says, would be more support from local broadcasters and platforms for development. “For the ecosystem to grow we need some support from within our own countries, from the local broadcasters, for example, so we can retain our authenticity and also get projects to a stage where they can attract regional and international partners,” she explains.
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