Ever since last year's screening of Freedom Riders, we've been in the movie business. Not in a commercial sense; we charge nothing for our monthly "Legation Movie Night."
Thanks to the people of the US Embassy's Public Affairs Section, we are able to show American films and documentaries to Tangier audiences.
In a city where you can probably pick up a pirated DVD of your choice of first-run current films, the idea of showing a legal copy of a 1954 Oscar winner – Shane, a classic Western if there ever was one – might seem an odd choice. But for Moroccans wanting to hone their English and expats eager for a touch of nostalgia, nothing could be better.
The audience at last night's showing would agree. Although summer's over, it's not quite the full-blown "rentrée" or the return to school and work. But the cultural calendar is picking back up, and for an American institution, we thought that a Western would be appropriate.
Our selection of classics, recent films, and documentaries doesn't present any competition to either the pirates or to legitimate cinemas in Tangier. The whole idea is to get people to use their English.
Legation Movie Night is our regular monthly event, but we arrange a number of special events too to cater to academic or other audiences. Peruse our blog's film category and you'll see the range of film-related events at TALIM.
Watching – and discussing – films and documentaries. Another way of doing citizen cultural diplomacy.
Gerald Loftus
