World Travel Series highlights Morocco April 5

When opportunity knocks, filmmaker Rick Ray is the kind of person who makes sure he is ready to answer.  It was Ray’s ability to make the most of an opportunity that lead to the creation of his latest travel film, “The Soul of Morocco.” Ray will present the film at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 in King Concert Hall at the State University of New York at Fredonia. It is part of World Travel Series at Rockefeller Arts Center sponsored by Fredonia Place.

A former “Lonely Planet” backpacker turned cinematographer, writer and director; Ray has produced 12 films on regions as diverse as Israel, Bali, Borneo, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Syria, Iceland, and India. He teaches documentary filmmaking at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Ventura, Calif.

The genesis of “The Soul of Morocco” came a few years ago when Ray was finishing work on his acclaimed 2006 opus “10 Questions for the Dalai Lama.” In search of his next project, Ray began looking at the map – and looking for plane tickets.

“I began looking for available flights around Christmas,” said Ray, who is an intrepid traveler. “The only place that I was interested in that I could get a ticket to at that time was Morocco. I had always thought of Morocco as an exotic land combining a lot of flavors.”

With a ticket in hand, Ray was soon on his way to Morocco. Located in North Africa, Morocco borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. At 172,402 square miles, it is similar in size to Iraq and is slightly larger than the state of California. Most of its people live west of the Atlas Mountains, a range that insulates the country from the Sahara Desert.

Having rented a car, Ray immersed himself in Moroccan culture and spent six weeks traveling around the country capturing footage for what would become “The Soul of Morocco.”

“It was very rewarding and refreshing to go to what is primarily an Islamic country and find a peaceful, delightful society,” Ray said. “The Moroccans are highly aware of the (outside) world, but they also value their traditions. I would liken Morocco somewhat to Turkey and Jordan.”

Ray began his journey in the best-known of Moroccan cities – Casablanca, made famous in part by a namesake 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart Ingrid Bergmann. Today, Casablanca is Morocco’s center of commerce and industry and its leading port.

“If you have ever seen the movie ‘Casablanca,’ you have this romantic image of Morocco,” Ray said. “Morocco is like that – but Casablanca itself is not a very exciting city. While Casablanca has a beautiful mosque, a city like Fez is much more interesting.”

Fez is the third largest city in Morocco. It was founded in 789 and is recognized as the cultural and religious center of Morocco. Here, Ray captured scenes from the colorful outdoor markets featuring skilled artisans and merchants. Those merchants, Ray noted, know how to make a sale.

“They have some of the most clever salesmen in Morocco,” Ray said. “They know how to sell their wares and goods – to both the unsuspecting and the suspecting.”

In his travels, Ray discovered a “peaceful, progressive, well-educated, forward-looking society.” He attributes this, in part, to Morocco’s young monarch, King Mohammed VI. Now age 44, Mohammed VI came to power in 1999.

“People love him,” Ray said of Mohammed VI. “They call him the ‘Cool King’.”

Under Mohammed VI, Ray said there has been an increase in freedom for women and the Berber culture has been integrated into the Moroccan school system. Morocco has a population of more than 33 million – about 75 percent of which is of Berber descent. The Berbers are an indigenous people of North Africa in the area west of the Nile Valley. It is estimated there are 40 million Berbers throughout the world, more than half of whom live in Morocco.

As a travel filmmaker, Ray has endured his share of hardships – such as a 48-hour ride through India without using the restroom once. Things weren’t quite as difficult in Morocco, but there were a few harrowing moments.

“We were driving through the desert and came across a destroyed mosque surrounded with damaged tanks,” Ray said. “There were no cars or people in the area. I thought we had somehow ended up in Iraq. It turned out to be a movie set.”

Ray noted that Morocco has been popular a popular shooting location with Hollywood moviemakers ever since the making of the film “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962.

There were many other notable moments during the journey through Morocco, which Ray said he will share with the audience at Rockefeller Arts Center on April 5.

“It’s my latest film and I put a lot of myself into it,” he said. “I love to share these experiences and raise the awareness of other countries.”

Tickets for “The Soul of Morocco” will be available at the door. One child is admitted free with each paid adult. For more information on ordering tickets in advance online, visit www.fredonia.edu/rac.

Photo information: A camel train makes its way through the desert in a scene from “The Soul of Morocco” by Rick Ray. The film will be presented on Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in King Concert Hall at SUNY Fredonia as part of the World Travel Series at Rockefeller Arts Center.