The Marrakesh International Film Festival (FIFM) opens on Friday evening and will host a parade of stars such as Robert Redford, Marion Cotillard, Harvey Keitel and Naomi Watts.
For this 18th edition, women are particularly in the spotlight, with a jury chaired by the Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, several female actresses directors and a program of committed films such as “Noura rêve” (2019), evoking the injustices of the patriarchal system in Tunisia.
The jury includes the French director Rebecca Zlotowski, who is an active advocate for parity in the film and audiovisual world. She is joined by the British director Andrea Arnold, the Franco-Italian actress Chiara Mastroianni, the Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt, as well as the Australian filmmakers David Michôd, Afghan Atiq Rahimi, the Brazilian Kleber Mendonça Filho and the Moroccan Ali Essafi.
This very mixed jury must decide between the 14 films in competition for the Grand Gold Star Award, which will be awarded at the closing gala on December 7.
The ceremonies of homage distinguish in parity four celebrities from four continents, the American Robert Redfort, the French Bertrand Tavernier, the Indian Priyanka Chopra and the Moroccan Mouna Fettou.
A great deal of attention is paid to exchanges with the public, with daily “conversations” with renowned artists, starting with Marion Cotillard, the most prominent French actress in Hollywood and Tunisian Hend Sabry, a star consecrated in the Arab world.
The festival also pays tribute to the Australian cinema, considered one of the oldest in the world, with around twenty actors and directors expected in Morocco’s tourist capital, including Naomi Watts.
This British actress who grew up in Australia recently played American journalist Gretchen Carlson, at the forefront of the #metoo movement with her fight against Fox News tycoon Roger Ailes.
The program includes old mainstream films such as George Miller’s “Mad Max” (1979) or more recent ones such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”, with Robert De Niro – a legendary duo that was featured in the 2018 edition of the festival.
“The Irishman” is produced and distributed by the American platform Netflix, which supports the Atlas workshops, professional meetings designed to develop and promote films from Africa and the Middle East.
Several films will be shown free of charge on giant screens in the main tourist square Jemaa El Fna, the beating heart of the city, during the festival.
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