They won’t play it again in this cinema in Casablanca. Rabi Derraj stared dejectedly at the dilapidated 1940s movie theater, its doors blocked by abandoned mannequins from the nearby market.

“There is no more hope. This cinema is dead,” said its longtime security guard.

Al-Malaki has already hosted more than 1,000 spectators, but like theaters in Morocco, it is closed and abandoned.

Enthusiasts are calling for better protection of the buildings, architectural treasures bearing witness to the past of the North African kingdom.

Al-Malaki, “the Royal” in Arabic, was commissioned by King Mohammed V in the 1940s as a grandiose response to cinemas reserved for citizens of the French colonial power.

The 1942 Hollywood classic “Casablanca,” featuring pianist Sam, is set in the city.

But decades later, the cinema building has become a dumping ground for goods from the surrounding market in the working-class neighborhood of Derb Sultan.

“It’s tragic. You can’t measure the historical significance of this cinema,” said Derraj, who spent nearly half of his 42 years as a caretaker.

In front of the ticket office, a TV nearly blocks out a price list, one of the few indications of the building’s function until its closure in 2016.

Like audiences in other countries around the world where historic theaters have also closed, Moroccans have turned to home streaming services, a trend amplified by the coronavirus pandemic.

A hundred theaters face a fate similar to that of Al-Malaki – collapsing for years until they are finally demolished.

The first cinemas in Morocco were built by the French, who had established a protectorate over the country in 1912.

But it was in the 1940s that theaters were built for Moroccans themselves, ushering in a golden age of the big screen that lasted until the early 1990s.

“Moroccans had a love affair with cinema,” said Francois Beaurain, a French photographer who has produced a book on the subject.

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“But television, VHS tapes and now streaming have killed that love,” he continued.

– ‘Unforgettable memories’ –

One victim of the trend was the Regent Cinema in the northern city of Meknes, a Baroque-style theater built in the 1920s.

Its demolition was a tragedy for Yahla Yahla, who was its projectionist for 35 years.

“It was very hard on me. It even made me sick,” said the well-dressed pensioner, now 70.

“I have unforgettable memories of this cinema. I learned my trade there.”

And the Regent’s closure was only the beginning of his woes. Yahla then worked in two other cinemas – but by 2020 both had closed.

“The younger generation doesn’t understand the value of cinema,” he said.

Today, only 27 cinemas remain open across the country of 37 million.

They rely heavily on state funding for renovations and film digitization.

– ‘Harder and harder’ –

The Casablanca Rif is one of those still in operation.

Built in 1957, its walls are upholstered in purple velvet which contrasts with its 950 red fabric seats.

“It’s a unique cinema, but I can’t hide my concern, the situation is getting more and more difficult,” said owner Hassan Belkady, 63.

And the coronavirus pandemic may have dealt the fatal blow: Morocco’s cinemas remained dark for more than a year before reopening in July 2021.

Despite nine million dirhams (850,000 euros, 960,000 dollars) in funding from the Moroccan Center for Cinematography (CCM), which promotes and regulates cinema, the industry is struggling to get out of the crisis.

Belkady said that since 2020 he had been forced to close two other cinemas in the country’s commercial capital – the ABC Theatre, built in 1948, and the Ritz from 1950.

Some of the buildings are officially listed, meaning they cannot be demolished.

But, Belkady asks, “what’s the point of classifying buildings as historic if the authorities don’t do anything to protect them?”

“There is an urgent need to mobilize and act before it is too late,” he said.

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