Rabat – The Dakhla Film Commission (DFC) has been created with the aim of promoting Dakhla as a new cinematographic destination for foreign and national productions, said the DFC in a press release on Wednesday.

According to its press release, the DFC aspires to consolidate the position of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region as an international hub for the film industry in Africa

The DFC will serve film productions in the Dakhla region and act as a liaison between local authorities and the film industry, particularly when it comes to obtaining shooting permits. It will also assist in the search for suitable locations and industry service partners.

The DFC is chaired by film producer and distributor Asma Graimiche, with producer Karim Dabbagh serving as VP, and Moroccan-American director Sana Hamri as one of its ambassador members.

According to Asma Graimiche, the DFC chose Dakhla because the peninsula has an hour and a half more sunlight per day than other cities in the Kingdom, which helps increase daily shooting time.

In addition to an airport, leading hotels, and logistics infrastructure, Graimiche mentioned that Dakhla has a logistics base that meets all the needs of film productions. These are all assets that qualify it as a leading cinematographic location on a national and international scale.

“The commission will focus on the development of an action plan to promote the film industry at the regional level and to attract more foreign producers to the region,” she added.

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Dakhla offers several natural advantages to the film industry. The most notable of which is the beautiful scenery of its beaches and the hundreds of kilometers of sand dunes, providing many filming opportunities.

Shooting “The Wheel of Time”

Along with the announcement of the DFC, the filming of scenes for the second season of the American futuristic fantasy series the Wheel of Time – based on James Oliver Rigney’s novel – has begun in Dakhla, reported the press release.

Renowned actors such as Madeleine Madden, Danielle Henney, and Michael McCleahton are part of the cast of this new season.

Moroccan-American director Sana Hamri leads the production team. This series is regarded as one of the most important current productions in the world, set to reach a global audience.