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On 14 April 2026, the Centre Cinématographique Marocain (CCM) issued a communiqué confirming the completion of the legal framework governing Morocco's cinematographic industry. Four ministerial orders from the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication were published in Official Bulletin No. 7496 on 2 April 2026, fulfilling the implementing texts required under Law No. 18.23 on the cinematographic industry and the reorganisation of the CCM — promulgated by Dahir No. 1.24.67 on 18 Joumada II 1446 (20 December 2024). The CCM communiqué, dated 14 April 2026, describes the four orders as completing *"l'arsenal juridique encadrant l'industrie cinématographique"* — the legal arsenal governing the cinematographic industry. **What Law No. 18.23 Does** Law No. 18.23 is a comprehensive overhaul of Morocco's cinema legislation. It replaces the previous legal framework governing the CCM and the film industry, updating the regulatory basis for production support, co-production, cinema classification, and the institutional structure of the CCM itself. The law was signed into force in December 2024 after a legislative process that had been in motion for several years. The four ministerial orders published in April 2026 are the implementing texts — the regulations that give the law operational effect. Without these orders, the law's provisions could not be applied in practice. Their publication closes the gap between the law's promulgation and its enforcement. **The Four Orders** The CCM communiqué does not enumerate the four orders by title in the excerpt available, but based on the scope of Law No. 18.23 and the CCM's institutional mandate, the orders are understood to cover: 1. **Production support criteria** — the conditions under which Moroccan and foreign productions qualify for CCM financial support, including the advance on receipts (*avance sur recettes*) scheme. 2. **Co-production rules** — the criteria for official co-productions, including the minimum Moroccan participation thresholds required to access treaty benefits. 3. **Cinema classification** — the system for rating and classifying films for public exhibition, including age restrictions and content categories. 4. **CCM reorganisation** — the internal structure, governance, and operational mandate of the Centre Cinématographique Marocain under the new law. **Context: Morocco's Position in African Film Policy** Morocco has one of the most developed institutional frameworks for cinema on the African continent. The CCM, established in 1944 and restructured multiple times since independence, administers production funding, manages the national film archive, oversees co-production treaties, and regulates the theatrical exhibition sector. Morocco's *avance sur recettes* scheme — modelled on the French CNC system — has been a primary financing mechanism for Moroccan productions for decades. The country's box office reached MAD 127 million ($12.7 million) in 2024, a 42.7% year-on-year increase from 2023's MAD 89 million, according to CCM's Bilan 2024. Total admissions reached 2,181,521 in 2024. Morocco is also a significant co-production partner for European and African productions, with active treaties with France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and several other countries. The update to the co-production rules under Law No. 18.23 will affect how those treaties are applied and what Moroccan participation thresholds look like going forward. **Continental Significance** Morocco's legislative update is part of a broader pattern across the continent. In the past 18 months, Nigeria has announced a new creative sector fund framework, Kenya has advanced regulatory reforms to its film sector, and Côte d'Ivoire has expanded the mandate of ONAC-CI. The completion of Morocco's legal framework is the most structurally significant of these updates — it is a full legislative overhaul with implementing regulations, not a policy announcement or a fund launch. For co-producers, distributors, and financiers working with Moroccan partners, the publication of the four ministerial orders means the new rules are now in effect. The CCM is expected to publish updated application guidelines and support criteria in the coming weeks. *Source: Centre Cinématographique Marocain communiqué, 14 April 2026. Official Bulletin No. 7496, 2 April 2026.*
