Fez — The Auditorium Pierre Bergé at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech has unveiled a November program featuring cinema, theater, and discussions about landscape design.
The month also places the auditorium at the heart of the 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival, running from November 20 to 28.
The program combines four international films, a performance broadcast by France’s historic Comédie-Française, and a conference exploring the possibilities of gardens in arid environments.
Through these different events, the auditorium continues its mission of bringing international artistic expression to Marrakech while encouraging encounters between disciplines.
Four films exploring cinema and performance
The auditorium’s Monday film series, “Yves Saint Laurent en scène,” explores the relationship between the French fashion designer and the performing arts.
The November selection brings together four productions spanning different periods of cinematic history, each exploring storytelling through performance, movement, and visual imagination.
The program opened on November 2 with Rob Marshall’s 2009 musical “Nine,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, and Penélope Cruz.
Inspired by Federico Fellini’s cinematic universe, the musical follows a filmmaker confronting personal and creative difficulties while preparing his next production.
On November 9, audiences can discover Marcel Camus’s “Orfeu Negro” (Black Orpheus), the 1959 film that reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice during Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival.
The production won both the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The November 16 screening features Henry C. Potter’s 1941 comedy “Hellzapoppin’,” an unconventional production that repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and challenges traditional storytelling.
The series concludes on November 30 with Fellini’s “La strada,” the 1954 Italian drama starring Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn, and Richard Basehart.
The film also received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, cementing its place among the celebrated works of Italian cinema.
All four screenings take place at 7 p.m. in their original languages with French subtitles.
Admission is free with advance reservations through [email protected].
French theater and the possibilities of arid gardens
Beyond cinema, the auditorium will welcome a screening of Molière’s “Les Femmes savantes” (The Learned Ladies) on November 7 at 7 p.m.
Presented through a broadcast of a Comédie-Française production, the 1672 comedy satirizes intellectual pretension, family ambitions, and the contradictions surrounding education and social status.
The performance offers Marrakech audiences an opportunity to experience one of France’s most established theatrical companies without traveling abroad.
Tickets are available through the venue’s official platform, where visitors can book seats for the performance.
On November 12, attention shifts from the stage to the landscape with a conference led by designers Arnaud Maurières and Éric Ossart.
Titled “Et si le jardin d’aridité devenait exubérant” (What If an Arid Garden Became Lush), the discussion begins at 7 p.m.
The speakers will explore how landscapes associated with limited rainfall can support rich vegetation and unexpected forms of natural beauty.
The subject has particular relevance in Marrakech, where gardens remain an important part of the city’s architectural identity and cultural heritage.
Located near the historic Jardin Majorelle, the auditorium provides a setting for discussing how landscape design can respond creatively to challenging environmental conditions.
A meeting point for international cinema
From November 20 to 28, the Auditorium Pierre Bergé will participate in the 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival.
The museum is among the festival’s screening venues, extending the event’s reach beyond its principal cinema and conference locations.
The auditorium will host films from the festival’s “11th Continent” section, dedicated to unconventional cinematic approaches and experimental storytelling.
The selection highlights filmmakers challenging established narrative structures and developing new ways of representing contemporary experiences.
According to the organizers, the broader programming connects innovative international productions with restored works from Arab and African cinema.
This combination encourages audiences to encounter contemporary filmmaking alongside works that have shaped the region’s cinematic heritage.
Visitors can explore the festival’s official program for screening updates and further details.
An auditorium connecting artistic disciplines
Established in 2017, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech houses exhibition galleries, a library, and cultural facilities dedicated to artistic exchange.
Its Auditorium Pierre Bergé was designed as a multipurpose space capable of accommodating screenings, performances, conferences, and musical events.
The museum’s November schedule reflects this versatility, moving between film history, theatrical interpretation, contemporary cinema, and landscape design.