Friday Performance in Fez by Megumi Matsubara

The wonderful artist, poet and performer Megumi Matsubara is giving a free performance along with Emma Dusong. Megumi has completed a highly acclaimed season at the Marrakech Biennial (see our story here)  and this may be the only performance in Fez. The event starts tomorrow (7th March) at 1900h at Dar Batha - Megumi is not to be missed!  

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Japanese Tourists Respond to Documentary On Morocco

A documentary film featuring Morocco, shot in December has been shown on Tokyo TV and BS Japan - and now a second one is being filmed. The huge audience and exposure which will certainly impact on the number of Japanese tourists visiting the kingdom.

The response was so great to the first documentary that a second round of filming has now taken place again with the assistance of Production Coordinator, Momoko Nishiyama. This time the focus will be on women in Morocco. It will be part of a full three hour Moroccan feature.

One of the things of greatest interest to viewers of the first film was the sequence shot at Riad Rcif in Fez of a traditional hammam and massage. So a new film crew this week enlisted two Moroccan women to take part. Rachida and Salma spent a long and demanding afternoon squeezed into the hammam and massage room along with the entire film crew and equipment.

Production Coordinator, Momoko Nishiyama

Rachida and Salma

The film crew setting up in the hammam

Salma awaiting the moment to begin the massage

The filming of an argan oil massage

The biggest problem experienced during the five hour shoot was the cold. The heating of the hammam would have caused problems for the cameras and so it was decided to go ahead without the usual warmth. The cold marble and tiles caused some problems especially for Rachida who needed breaks with hot towels to stop shivering.

See our report on the first film shoot here.

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Shooting in a Hammam ~ A Challenge For Film Crew

Riad Rcif was this week chosen as the location for a film shoot in the Fez Medina. The Japanese film crew working with Production Coordinator, Momoko Nishiyama from Voice Japan, was on a tight schedule, trying to get as much footage shot as is possible in six days

The company is shooting a series of travel films in which popular Japanese actress Miho Kanno visits different countries and explores the cultures.  As Momoko Nishiyama explained,"We have been to many of the African countries but this is our first visit to Morocco and it is absolutely beautiful." 

The episode featuring Morocco will be shown next year on Tokyo TV and BS Japan - a huge audience and exposure which will certainly impact on the number of Japanese tourists visiting the kingdom.

Miho Kanno

On a tight schedule they had been in the South and arrived in Fez yesterday. The 15-strong film crew immediately set to work doing an afternoon and night shoot around the Medina and in Riad Rcif, focusing on some of the beautiful architectural details.

Today it was into the hammam. This was not an easy undertaking because of the small space, issues of water, heat and steam. Then there was the problem of finding local women willing to be filmed in the hammam.

Nora, one of the masseuses at Riad Rcif, teamed up with Rachida from Riad Zany and stepped into the hammam for what was to be a long session. 

Normally a scrub and massage in a hammam is one continuous event. Not so when being filmed. Cameraman, Koru, had an extensive shot list and each individual shot had to be lit with the limited lighting that could be fitted into the space. 

Eventually the shots were completed in around two and a half hours.

Nora and Rachida  - stars for a day

The View from Fez would like to thank Momoko Nishiyama and Riad Rcif for the opportunity to visit during the film shoot. 

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Moroccans Evacuated from Japan

After the devastating 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, Morocco has acted quickly to repatriate its citizens. The first group was small, just five persons and an infant. They arrived in Casablanca on Saturday.
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Two more groups will follow. According to reports from the Mohammed V airport, a group of six will fly in around midday today.

A third, much larger group, expected to be around 89 people, is expected to touch down after midday on Monday.

The Moroccan government continues to monitor the situation through its diplomatic staff in Japan. They have also established two crisis telephone numbers for members of the public concerned about family and friends.

Locally people can call Rabat : 00 212 5 37 72 64 05 or the Embassy in Tokyo : 00 81 354 85 71 71.

World News ~ Tsunami swamps Japan after powerful quake

Large areas of Japan's northern Pacific coast have been swamped by a devastating tsunami, engulfing entire towns following a major 8.9 offshore quake.

The massive wave of water, as high as 10 metres in some parts, reached more than five kilometres inland.

The death toll has already reached 23 and officials say an unknown number of people are missing.

Seismologists say the quake was 160 times more powerful than the one that devastated Christchurch last month. It is understood to be the seventh largest earthquake in recorded history.

The massive Tsunami roars inland