From Friday 28 January, the fourth season of Mocro Mafia can be seen weekly at Videoland. The first images of the exciting crime series are already online and again promise fans plenty of excitement, action and drama.
It seems that there is more and more swearing and violence in the series. How do you see that as a maker?
Achmed Akkabi: “Maybe it seems that way because it’s the trailer. I don’t want to spoil it, but if you’ve seen the previous seasons, you should know that I enjoy being one step ahead of the viewer all the time. It’s been thought through. If you think it’s going to be very violent, there’s a very good chance it won’t.”
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You don’t want to romanticize the criminal world, you say. How do you do that?
“We show how terrible that world is. I don’t think there is a single Dutch series in which so many popular characters die in a short time. You can enter that world, yes. You can be the man in a short time and have money, but in the end you can’t escape the man with the scythe. Or you look over your shoulder your whole life. About 15 or 20 characters from the series are already gone.”
If you as a viewer empathize with a character and are angry that he is dying in the series, that is one-millionth of the feeling a family member has who has really lost someone to that world. Those are things I play with.”
Do you apply self-censorship? Are there events that never make it into the series, such as the murder of Peter R. de Vries?
“I don’t look at current affairs that way. Often it is also the case that when something happens, you are already filming. I would like people to stop linking the news to the series. It doesn’t have much to do with that to make.”
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Where do you get your inspiration from?
“My research is worldwide. It is not that I will read all the articles about crime in the Netherlands and then come up with a new season. We are at season 4, we have already built up three seasons of characters. Then you also get inspiration from what you already put down and how you are going to pass this on.”
Mocro Mafia also stands for liquidations, Ridouan Taghi. Do more people immediately think of the series?
“That was one of my secret goals. How do I get it to be so positive when people talk about the term mocro mafia? Of course the term is still used to address reality, but I believe that a large group of people immediately think of the series that they think is so fantastic. I’m glad we were able to turn that around a bit.”
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Fans are hunting online for codes to preview the first episode. How do you experience that popularity?
“We have so many loyal fans, it’s bizarre. It has made me a bit of a recluse, although that will also be partly because of corona. I know what it is like to participate in a big project, but Mocro Mafia is something completely different So many times bigger Fans now also come from Belgium, Germany, France, I don’t just get the reactions on the street anymore, it is becoming international.
My funniest fan story is that I was recently in an Uber on my way to a friend’s birthday. The driver recognized me and literally, that man froze. He was so nervous that he drove in the wrong direction. I also had to Facetime with his wife and had my picture taken five times.
I don’t find that kind of relaxed, but I’m especially happy with the positivity and appreciation. I could never have dreamed that what we make would be so appreciated by the viewer.”
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