Mocro Mafia opens doors that would otherwise remain closed

When Achmed Akkabi started the series four seasons ago Mocro Mafia, he especially wanted to tell a story on several levels and give young talents the opportunity to break through. By the way, he noticed that the series also opened doors for other manufacturers.

“This series means a lot to me,” co-creator and protagonist Akkabi told NU.nl. “Young talents, budding directors and writers have the chance to break through, Mocro Mafia serves as a springboard for them. And it’s for me, so I’m very proud of it,” said the 38-year-old actor, who is also involved in the casting of the detective series.

Nasrdin Dchar, a close friend of Akkabi, plays the role of Pencil in season 1 of Mocro Mafia. He still remembers that some difficult conversations took place at the beginning.

“I am always confronted with stigmas and clichés. When we talk about a world in which people of Moroccan origin are criminals, my brain immediately goes in this direction”, explains Dchar.

“I had very long conversations with Ahmed about this, but luckily it came across that we wanted to show a very layered world. A world that is a nightmare, in which families are torn apart and young people are displaced somewhere Especially this layering. Personally, I thought it was very important in there. When reading the first scripts with the cast, I immediately noticed: wow, okay, this can really become something very special, and also something very important.

“It’s great that we are going abroad with this series”

“The big thing about the show is you see how many other projects go green because of the success of our show,” Akkabi adds. “Mocro Mafia opens doors to all kinds of other creators, young creatives, other types of content. That wasn’t the case before.”

Dchar: “We also both know the time when it was literally said: they are not there, the actors, the color makers. It is no longer said in 2022.”

even if Mocro Mafia Before Videoland was developed, the series can now be seen in many countries. “France is waiting for the second season, Germany for the third,” explains Akkabi. “Spain is coming, and we’re seeing it in the US, Canada, UK, Russia and Indonesia.”

“It’s great that we’re going overseas with a series that was intended for a Dutch streaming service without the biggest budget. We have to be creative every season. That people dare to mention you in the same breath with series such as Gomorrah is a real compliment to all of us.”

The first episode of the new season can be seen on Videoland starting today. According to Akkabi, the big difference with the previous three seasons is that the immediate environment of some young people in the series will take matters into their own hands. “The neighborhood community wants to take a stand. And it’s going to be very interesting.”