Star Academy Maghreb judge discusses how art transcends borders

2009-11-13

Moroccan filmmaker Mohamed Achaour has won numerous accolades in his young career, most recently for the wildly popular TV miniseries "Zorroh". As he prepares to join the Star Academy Maghreb jury next month, he talks about what he learned from working with such a diverse talent pool.

Interview by Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca – 13/11/09

[Imane Belhaj] Moroccan director Mohamed Achaour may bring some "Zorroh" flair to the Star Academy Maghreb jury.

Moroccan filmmaker and upcoming Star Academy Maghreb juror Mohamed Achaour began his entertainment career in music before moving on to the world of cinema. His comic series "Zorroh" aired on Tunisia's Nessma TV last Ramadan.

In December, Achaour returns to his musical roots – and Nessma TV – as a jury member of Star Academy Maghreb. He recently spoke to Magharebia about his career, the multi-national cast of his TV series and what entertainment can do to promote regional integration.

Magharebia: You are on the jury for Star Academy Maghreb's second edition. What's it like?

Achaour: The start was Tunisia, where we visited Tunis, Sfax and Sousse. The competition was very tough if you want to talk about the talent and love of singing. We also noticed there were some people who came out of curiosity.

In Morocco, in Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier, that is, we found the same will and the same ambition. After that, we went to Algeria.

There are several criteria for selection, meaning we don't depend on just a beautiful voice. We also look for a distinguished personality and multiple talents, such as dancing, a bit of theatre art and some knowledge of Maghreb art as a whole. There were such talents, and the event drew huge numbers of people. I think the second edition of Star Academy Maghreb will be up to the expectations of Maghreb audience.

Magharebia: Your first collaboration with Nessma TV was for the comic series "Zorroh", first televised last Ramadan. How was that experience?

Achaour: It was an important one. The thing that distinguishes Nessma TV is that although it's a new channel, it forges forward with determination after three years of existence. With new capital, it seeks to bring a beacon of light to the Arab and Maghreb levels, and it aims at enhancing the audio-visual scene. In the face of the channels coming from the east, Nessma TV wants to allow Maghreb identity to be added to this scene.

The experience was good, and the officials of the company showed great interest in my work, which was done in the best circumstances. They are very professional people. The most important thing is that it was a major experience that added a lot to me, as I like to have human communication and to meet people, especially young people who have ambition.

Magharebia: How did the series fare in the different Maghreb countries?

Achaour: The series didn't attract the same viewership in Tunisia as was the case in Morocco. This was because it coincided with the airing of a Tunisian series that had achieved unparalleled viewership last year. Therefore, Tunisians were anxiously waiting for the second part of that series, and this constituted an obstacle for "Zorroh" at the time. We were facing strong competition.

In Morocco, however, the series was well received. I wouldn't say that it attracted huge viewership, given that the channel is still unknown in Morocco and the timing of broadcast was not suitable.

All in all, it was an important experience. I consider Nessma TV to be like an experiment lab, because to get three or five countries in just one channel and to try to please all tastes, is not an easy thing to do. I personally felt comfortable over the experience. The most important thing is that it appealed to young people and to some intellectuals.

Magharebia: You had Tunisians and Algerians working alongside the mostly Moroccan cast. What was it like to work with this Maghreb mix of actors?

Achaour: We were like one family. There was a very joyful atmosphere. We were bursting out laughing with a mere look at each other's faces. Each actor had his own joyous way of kidding; something that enabled us to establish some sort of integration between the Maghreb peoples, who I found out were similar in a lot of their peculiarities. I think that the experience deserves to be repeated in other works of art, God willing.

[File] Nessma TV's "Zorroh" brought regional fame to director Mohamed Achaour.

Magharebia: Popularity across Maghreb borders and a diverse cast made the show unique. Is there a bigger picture?

Achaour: Art has no borders. It is man who makes up these borders and who restricts himself to them. Today, there is something called globalisation that we all have to keep up with.

Every person or artist needs to take advantage of advanced communication technology to disseminate his unique background and the peculiarities of his country, and get them across on an international level.

I consider it to be a natural thing to have exchanges between Tunisia and Algeria, or between Mauritania and Libya, and to get to know artists of this or that country. To me, the beacon of light must transcend the Arab Maghreb countries to reach other Arab countries, or the West, so that there may be Maghreb international openness.

Magharebia: What are your upcoming projects?

Achaour: There are plans for me to deal again with Nessma TV in the future. I also intend to work with Moroccan channels. Fortunately, we don't operate like football players; directors aren't sold to a channel. Our dealings with a certain channel will not prevent us from working with other channels on new projects. It's all subject to privacy and the 'supply and demand' principle.

When we speak to a Maghreb audience, we need to be a bit more understanding. Moroccan slang, for example, is not understood by Tunisians, and vice versa. We should take all this into consideration. However, there are some Moroccan projects that I think specifically target Moroccans, although they can be watched by other people outside Morocco.

Magharebia: Do you have a message that you want to get across to your audience? If so, what is it?

Achaour: Yes. Every artist has a message. For instance, there are the principles of tolerance that don't need to be confirmed; they are clear to any artist who loves his or her work. However, I always try to convey a positive outlook on life and confirm that we shouldn't look at life more seriously than we ought to.

Everyone has problems. We, as artists, must come up with ways to solve them. I'm not claiming that my works are presenting solutions, but I just present my position and my own look on these issues with much optimism, along some humour, sarcasm and fun. This means that even if the topic is dramatic, there must be a touch of comedy in order to alleviate the effect of the problem being discussed in the film or the drama on viewers.

I have always believed in a Moroccan proverb that says "face the music and dance". It's always better to deal with issues in this way.