News

Scandar Copti’s Palestinian drama Happy Holidays took the Étoile d’Or main award at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival.

The film, a Haifa-set drama in which a minor car accident sets off a chain of events that sow division in a patriarchal society, also received the best performance by an actress prize, shared between Wafaa Aoun and Manar Shehab.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Happy Holidays is a co-production between Palestine’s Fresco Films, Germany’s Red Balloon Film, France’s Tessalit Productions and Italy’s Intramovies. It debuted in Venice’s Biennale Cinema section in September,...

Palestinian director Scandar Copti’s drama Happy Holidays has clinched the Étoile d’Or for Best Film at the Marrakech Film Festival.

The Jury Prize was awarded ex aequo to Argentinian director Silvina Schnicer’s The Cottage and Somali and Austrian filmmaker Mo Harawe’s The Village Next to Paradise. Damian Kocur won the Best Directing Prize for his drama Under the Volcano, which is Poland’s Oscar entry this year.

The prize for Best Performance by an Actress was shared by Wafaa Aoun and Manar Shehab for their performances in Happy Holidays, while Roman Lutskyi won the award for Best Performance by an Actor for his work in Under the Volcano.

Happy Holidays is a contemporary Haifa-set drama in which a minor car accident sets off a chain of events, unraveling lies and unspoken truths that sow division within a multifaceted patriarchal society.

The film world premiered in the...

Luca Guadagnino,head of the competition jury at theMarrakech International Film Festival (Fifm), reflected on his North African roots at the opening night ceremony on November 29.

The Challengers and Queer director spoke in French and told the audience inside the Salle des Ministres about his Algerian mother, who grew up in Casablanca. “She considered herself half Moroccan,” the Italian filmmaker said, adding he would also like to consider himself half Moroccan, to the delight of the audience.

“Long live Morocco, long live Marrakech, long live cinema,” Guadagnino declared, officially opening this year’s festival.

Glamour is back in Marrakech for...

The Marrakech Film Festival unveiled its 2024 lineup on Thursday and set that Luca Guadagnino would replace Thomas Vinterberg as its jury president. The other jury members will be Andrew Garfield, Jacob Elordi, Virginie Efira, and Ali Abbasi. Vinterberg “had to excuse himself for family reasons,” festival organizers said.

The Marrakech fest on Thursday also unveiled the lineup for its competition, 11th Continent, and Moroccan Panorama sections, as well as gala and special screenings. In the competition, 14 films will compete for the Étoile d’Or, or Golden Star.

The 21st edition of the fest in Morocco will also honor Sean Penn, David Cronenberg and, posthumously, pay homage to Moroccan star Naïma Elmcherqui. The Marrakech fest takes place Nov. 29-Dec. 7.

Check out the full lineup for the 2024 edition below.

Competition

Across The Sea (LA Mer Au Loin)

by Saïd Hamich Benlarbi / France, Morocco, Belgium

with Ayoub Gretaa, Anna Mouglalis, Grégoire Colin, Omar Boulakirba,...

Justin Kurzel’s political thriller The Order starring Jude Law will open the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival in the presence of the director and producer Stuart Ford later this month.

The film is among seven films that will be showcased as gala screenings at the Moroccan film festival, which unveiled its line-up on Thursday.

The galas also feature a trio of Best International Feature Film Oscar entries, Nabil Ayouch’s Everybody Loves Touda (Morocco), Walter Salles’s I’m Still Here (Brazil) and Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany), all of which will screen in the presence of their directors.

The festival will screen 70 features from 32 countries across sections spanning the Official Competition, Gala Screenings, Special Screenings, the 11th Continent, the Moroccan Panorama, Cinema for Young Audiences & Families, and films shown as part of the Tributes program.

The 14 first and second films in competition include French...

Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the full line-up for its 21st edition which will open with Justin Kurzel’s crime thriller The Order onNovember 29 and run to December 7.

Kurzel’s debut featureSnowtownwon thefestival’s jury prize in 2011, and the filmmaker returned in 2022 to serve on the jury.

This year’s jury will be presided over by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, replacing Thomas Vinterberg, and will award the Étoile d’Or for best film to one of 14 first- and second-time features in the international competition.

In total, the festival will screen 70 films from 32 countries, including 14 documentaries, 12 Moroccan titles, nine world...

Marrakech International Film Festival will present honorary tributes to Sean Penn, David Cronenberg and late Moroccan actress Naima Elmcherqui at its 21st edition this year (November 29-December 7).

The festival will present a programme dedicated to each person, featuring highlights from their careers.

Marrakech describes Penn as “one of the most gifted actors of his generation”, highlighting his work with filmmakers including Brian De Palma (on Casualties Of War), Oliver Stone (on U Turn), David Fincher (on The Game) and Terrence Malick (on The Tree Of Life).

The festival notes that Canadian filmmaker Cronenberg “has built up a singular body of work that fascinates,...

Sean Penn, David Cronenberg and late great Moroccan actor Naïma Elmcherqui are set to be celebrated with career tributes by the Marrakech International Film Festival.

Elmcherqui, who was one of Morocco’s best-loved personalities, died in Casablanca on Oct. 5. After becoming a household name during the 1960s and 70s working with Moroccan theatre director and dramatist Tayeb Seddiki she soared on the big-screen in movies such as Souheil Ben Barka’s “Blood Wedding” (1977), which was Morocco’s first submission for the international Oscar; Mohamed Abderrahman Tazi’s female empowerment drama “Badis” (1989); and, more recently Mohamed Mouftakir’s “The Fall of Apple Trees,” her final film role, for which Elmcherqui won the best actress prize at Sweden’s Malmö Arab Film Festival.

Elmcherqui – who was a member of the board of the foundation that oversees the Marrakech fest – had also appeared in a slew of soaps and Moroccan TV movies that boosted boosted her popularity.

Sean Penn, Canadian writer-director David Cronenberg, and late Moroccan star Naïma Elmcherqui will be honored at the 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco.

Fest organizers, in unveiling the news on Wednesday, described them as “three great artists whose contributions and influence have had a significant impact on cinema for several decades.”

For his homage, Penn will make his first appearance at the Marrakech festival and his first visit to the country of Morocco, organizers said.

“A revelation with his very first roles, Sean Penn established himself in the 1980s and 1990s as one of the most gifted actors of his generation in collaborations with prestigious filmmakers, including Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone, David Fincher, Terrence Malick, and Woody Allen,” the fest said, lauding his “intense acting, passion, and dedication to his craft” throughout his work. “Alongside being one of the greatest actors in contemporary cinema, Penn...

The Marrakech International Film Festival announced plans to recognize three influential figures at its upcoming 21st edition. The festival will celebrate Sean Penn, David Cronenberg, and the late Moroccan actress Naïma Elmcherqui for their contributions to film.

Sean Penn, a two-time Oscar winner, will make his first visit to Morocco and the prestigious festival. Penn is known for acting in and directing movies. He is also active in humanitarian work using his fame. Festival organizers noted Penn’s commitment to social causes.

Veteran director David Cronenberg said he was excited and honored by the recognition. Cronenberg, 77, has made over 50 films spanning six decades, including The Fly and A Dangerous Method. His latest, The Shrouds, has screened at other festivals this year. Cronenberg is celebrated for launching the careers of stars like Julianne Moore and Robert Pattinson.

The festival will also pay tribute to the late Naïma Elmcherqui. A veteran of Moroccan cinema for 60 years,...