Moroccan Filmmakers Protest French Dubbing of Hollywood Blockbusters, Reflecting Shift to English

The interest of Moroccans in English is constantly growing. This is evidenced by the opposition to the decision of the Megarama Casablanca to project on July 19 the majority of the sessions of two of the most anticipated American films this year in French dubbed version. These are the film Oppenheimer by director Christopher Nolan, as well as the film Barbie, directed by the famous Greta Gerwig. "How could we deprive the spectators of the authenticity of the films, in particular with the bewitching British accent of the main character in Oppenheimer?" question the Moroccan filmmakers of the "1895" group, before calling for a global boycott of these sessions.

They also encouraged leaving negative reviews on Google until the management of the theater reconsidered its position. In the eyes of these filmmakers, cinematographic art must be preserved in its original form to offer a unique and complete experience, reports L’Opinion.ma. "What a waste! Oppenheimer and Barbie dubbed in French?! Losing Cillian Murphy’s bewitching British accent in Oppenheimer would be a cinematic sacrilege. Let’s hope Megarama Casablanca reconsiders this decision," commented Ahmed, a member of the group.

Faced with the controversy, the management of the theater has added a significant number of screenings in the original English language. On Tuesday, it provided four sessions for the film Oppenheimer in VOST FR (Original Version French Subtitled) version. Lovers of the 7th art also had the right to five screenings of Barbie, only one in dubbed version.