Ouarzazate

After driving by the first massive film reel statue on the edge of Ouarzazate, it became evident that there was something peculiar about this place. Turns out it’s a middle-of-nowhere metropolis of movie creation, home to Atlas Film Studios—the world’s largest film corporation. The eerie, seemingly forgotten film sets remain littered about the area, slowly decaying with the harshness of the environment. The city was aptly dubbed “Africa’s Hollywood” with a star-studded list of both national and international actors strutting their stuff in the dusty glamor. While I can’t say you’ll bump right into Leonardo DiCaprio, he was there while filming Body of Lies. Pro tip: It’s pronounced wa-za-zat, so please, don’t sound as foolish as I did trying to say it as ooaarrrzazayt.