MARRAKECH: One of the Middle East and North Africa’s largest film festivals opened Friday in Morocco, drawing actors and directors from throughout the world to present 70 features from 32 countries.
The Marrakech International Film Festival, now in its 21st year, will showcase Oscar contenders and screen films for members of the public. But unlike larger festivals in Venice, Cannes or Toronto, it places unique emphasis on emerging directors and films from the Middle East and Africa.
The roster of actors and directors who will participate in this year’s conversations and tributes includes Sean Penn, Alfonso Cuaron and David Cronenberg.
Remi Bonhomme, the festival’s artistic director, said what makes the festival unique is its ability to draw talent on par with the world’s largest festivals while also spotlighting up-and-coming directors from Morocco, the Middle East and Africa.
“We pay a lot of attention to countries that are underrepresented in cinema,” he said. “We support filmmakers who have their own voice, who develop a story that is in a specific context, whether it is Iran, Morocco or the US“
“But they don’t have to be the voice of their country. They have the need to have the freedom to express their own personal vision,” he added.
Among the themes that Bonhomme is excited about in this year’s films is family. Filmmakers, including “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” director Mohammad Rasoulof, are “exploring social and political impact through the scale of a family,” Bonhomme said.
The festival opens Friday with “The Order” — a thriller starring Jude Law that chronicles an FBI manhunt for the leader of a white supremacist group.
The jury competition contains 14 first or second films. The nine-person jury includes actors Jacob Elordi and Andrew Garfield as well as Ali Abbasi, the Iranian-Danish director of “The Apprentice.” Luca Guadagnino, the Italian-Algerian director of “Queer” will preside over the jury.
The films in competition include Saïd Hamich’s “Across the Sea” about a young Moroccan man’s immigration to Marseille and Damian Kocur’s “Under the Volcano,” Poland’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature.
The festival — founded by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and is presided over by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid — plays a major role in showcasing and promoting Moroccan films and directors.
Marrakech Film Festival opens in Morocco with ‘The Order’
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Marrakech Film Festival opens in Morocco with ‘The Order’
- The Marrakech International Film Festival, now in its 21st year, will showcase Oscar contenders and screen films for members of the public
Arab fashion spotted at Critics Choice Awards
DUBAI: Sunday night’s Critics Choice Awards, the first major gala of this year’s Hollywood awards season, played host to several creations from Arab fashion designers on the red carpet.
Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph showed off a burgundy gown by Lebanese-Italian designer Tony Ward, hailing from his Fall/ Winter 2025 couture collection, while Kristen Bell opted for a black dress with lace panels by celebrity favorite Elie Saab.
The “Marty Supreme” actress Odessa A'zion glittered in a silver, sequined gown by Emirati brand OTT Dubai.
The brand, which has been sported by singers Mya and Leona Lewis in the past, dressed A’zion in a semi-sheer, floor-length dress with billowing sleeves and a peek-a-boo cutout.
A’zion’s co-star Timothee Chalamet’s Oscars campaign earned a major boost at the event as he scooped the best actor prize for “Marty Supreme,” AFP reported.
He defeated rival Leonardo DiCaprio, whose raucous political thriller “One Battle After Another” took the night’s top prize for best picture, as well as best director and best adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson.
In “Marty Supreme,” Chalamet plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.
Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor’s unique viral campaign, the film directed by Josh Safdie (“Uncut Gems”) has become an unlikely global hit.
Chalamet — the “Dune” superstar and two-time Oscar nominee who recently portrayed Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” — rigorously trained in table tennis for the role.
The 30-year-old has in the past made no secret of his ambitions to win multiple Academy Awards, and will now be the frontrunner for the ceremony on March 15.
The awards bestowed by North America’s largest critics’ group could give movie campaigns much-needed extra momentum as Oscars voting nears.
This year, it took the coveted first weekend of awards season usually occupied by the Golden Globes, which will take place in Beverly Hills next weekend.
Jessie Buckley won best actress for her role as the tragic wife of William Shakespeare in period drama “Hamnet.”
Jacob Elordi won best supporting actor for his portrayal of the Monster in “Frankenstein,” which also won three technical awards, while Amy Madigan won supporting actress for a villainous turn in horror flick “Weapons.”
Netflix’s global mega-hit musical “K-pop Demon Hunters” won best animated feature and best song.
Period horror film, “Sinners,” which is also a major contender for many of this season’s top prizes, had to settle for best original screenplay, young actor, score, and casting and ensemble.
