Fez — The Festival’s “Conversations” series returns with intimate onstage exchanges that unpack how films are written, performed, produced, and brought to audiences. 

The format invites artists and industry leaders to share the choices, influences, and collaborations that shape their work while opening a practical window onto directing, acting, writing, and producing.

Global voices on stage

For this edition, Marrakech welcomes a roster that spans continents and styles: 

  • Bong Joon Ho (South Korean filmmaker; Palme d’Or and four Oscars for “Parasite”; credits include “Memories of Murder,” “The Host,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Okja”).

  • Guillermo del Toro (Mexican director, writer, and producer; Oscars for “The Shape of Water” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”; noted for “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” and “Crimson Peak”).

  • Andrew Dominik (Australian writer-director; “Chopper,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Killing Them Softly,” “Blonde”).

  • Laurence Fishburne (U.S. actor, director, producer; Morpheus in “The Matrix”; Oscar nominee for “What’s Love Got to Do with It”; Tony and multiple Emmy winner).

  • Jodie Foster (U.S. actor and director; two-time Best Actress Oscar for “The Accused” and “The Silence of the Lambs”; recent acclaim for “Nyad” and “True Detective: Night Country”).

  • Karan Johar (Indian director, writer, producer, and TV host; leading Bollywood figure with hits including “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham,” “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,” and “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”).

  • Bill Kramer (CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; oversees the Oscars and the Academy Museum).

  • Nadine Labaki (Lebanese director and actor; Cannes Jury Prize for “Capernaum”; known for “Caramel” and “Where Do We Go Now?”).

  • Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazilian director and programmer; Cannes-laureled filmmaker of “Aquarius” and “Bacurau”).

  • Jafar Panahi (Iranian auteur; Golden Lion for “The Circle,” Golden Bear for “Taxi Tehran”; major honors across Cannes, Berlin, and Venice).

  • Tahar Rahim (French actor; double César winner for “A Prophet”; international credits include “The Mauritanian,” “The Serpent,” and “Madame Web”).

  • Yousra (Egyptian screen icon; more than four decades of landmark roles across Arab cinema and television; member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences).

Biographical notes released with the program highlight the guests’ landmark films and recent projects, from global hits such as “Parasite” and “The Shape of Water” to Cannes standouts including “Capernaum” and “Bacurau.” Their presence reflects Marrakech’s ability to convene diverse voices working at the intersection of art and industry.

Two focused panel discussions

Two special Conversations punctuate the series. The first pairs Virginie Efira (Franco-Belgian actor; César and Magritte Best Actress winner for “Revoir Paris,” with credits including “Benedetta” and “Elle”) and Chiara Mastroianni (Italian-French actor and singer; Un Certain Regard Best Performance at Cannes for “On a Magical Night,” with collaborations spanning Christophe Honoré and Arnaud Desplechin) for a dialogue on acting, artistic freedom, and how performance helps read the world.

The second panel, “Filming Memory: Between Collective History and the Intimate,” features Asmae El Moudir (Moroccan director; Un Certain Regard Best Director and L’Œil d’or for “The Mother of All Lies,” Marrakech’s Étoile d’or winner) and Karima Saïdi (Moroccan filmmaker and editor; known for the documentary “A Way Home” and teaching work in Liège and Marrakech), focusing on how Moroccan documentaries use personal narratives to explore memory, exile, and social change.

By foregrounding conversation alongside screenings and premieres, Marrakech turns the stage into a living workshop. 

Audiences hear directly from artists about methods, influences, and the practical pathways that carry films from idea to screen. 

For Moroccan cinephiles and visiting professionals, the program is a forum where cinema can be shared, questioned, and reimagined in real time.

The Marrakech International Film Festival takes place from November 28 to December 6. Detailed schedules, venues, and access information for the Conversations will be posted on the festival’s official channels and partner platforms.