Casablanca – Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 23rd edition, bringing 76 films from 39 countries to the city from November 20 to 28.
Across seven sections, the program moves between intimate personal stories, political thrillers, documentaries, and films that explore life in different parts of the world.
The selection includes 10 world premieres, 12 films supported by the Atlas Workshops, and 11 films submitted by their countries for Academy Award consideration.
Moroccan cinema takes center stage
The Moroccan Panorama features six fiction and documentary films, including three world premieres. Mohamed Mouftakir’s “Hoods” and Zhor Fassi-Fihri’s “Man of Signs” lead that group, alongside Tala Hadid’s “Bardi,” which opens the section.
Moroccan cinema also extends beyond the dedicated panorama, with 11 Moroccan films appearing across the festival’s sections.
Three international productions shot in Morocco add another local connection, including “Waves of Silence,” a moral drama about migrant shipwrecks, and “The Roses of Marrakech,” a story of female solidarity starring Fanny Ardant and Nisrin Erradi.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
14 films compete for the Étoile d’Or
The Official Competition brings together 14 first and second feature films, with French actress Marion Cotillard presiding over the jury.
Across the selection, many filmmakers turn to intimate human stories to explore what happens when people face the weight of history, conflict, or separation.
From the long road toward healing to the strain of living through war and the distance between family members, these films look at how larger realities shape the most personal parts of our lives.
In “Ben’imana,” Rwandan filmmaker Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo explores the challenges of healing after the Tutsi genocide, while “Chronicles from the Siege,” by Abdallah Al-Khatib, brings viewers into the daily lives of people caught up in war.
Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu’s “House of the Wind” turns to a Cameroonian mother trying to preserve her connection with her children after they leave for Europe, tracing the emotional cost of a family stretched across borders.
The selection also turns to the emotional twists of growing up, from the friendships that shape us to the first experiences of love. In “Sad Girlz,” Fernanda Tovar follows two swimmers whose friendship is tested as they confront sexual assault, while “The World Before,” by Yoon Dan-bi, captures the tenderness and uncertainty of a summer romance.
Three films will make their world premieres in the competition, including Moroccan filmmaker Yassine Marco Marroccu’s “Alkebulan,” an adventure that moves between the Sahara in the 1960s and Italy in the 1930s.
Gala screenings bring international cinema to Marrakech
The festival opens with Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut,” a comedy starring Julianne Moore as a shy housewife who discovers a consuming passion for amateur theater. The opening film sets a lighter tone before the Gala Screenings move between black comedy, thrillers, family drama, and stories inspired by real lives.
Two gala titles will make their world premieres. Fellipe Barbosa’s “Leila et la nuit” draws inspiration from the life of Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui, with Roschdy Zem and Marina Foïs in the cast.
The second film, Egyptian director Omar Hilal’s “His Weakest Creatures,” brings Ahmed Helmy and Hend Sabry together on screen for the first time in an adventure that mixes black comedy and thriller elements.
The section also features “Strawberries,” Laïla Marrakchi’s feminist survival story about seasonal female workers in Spain. The film represents Morocco’s submission to the Academy Awards.
Noah Segan’s “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” follows an aging thief struggling to find his footing in a changing world, while Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” turns to the tech industry, tracing the rise of OpenAI founder Sam Altman, played by Andrew Garfield.
Horizons explore stories beyond borders
With 21 films, Horizons offers another broad look at contemporary cinema, including new works by filmmakers such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Pawel Pawlikowski, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Nanni Moretti.
Arab cinema adds another dimension to the selection, with stories that explore life under pressure and the realities shaping the region. Egyptian psychological thriller “Safe Exit” explores the hero’s trauma following his parents’ murder due to ethnic violence, while “The Station” imagines a dystopian Yemen through a feminist lens. “Citizen Osama,” a documentary about Gaza, turns to the realities of life in the territory.
African cinema features films including Alain Gomis’s “Dao,” the Nigerian production “Clarissa,” and “The Smell of Apples,” directed by John Trengove.
The 11th Continent presents 13 films
For viewers drawn to less conventional filmmaking, the 11th Continent gathers 13 fiction films, documentaries, and restored classics. Its lineup includes the world premiere of “Bedeau, Transit Camp,” alongside “Edward Said: Between Worlds,” a documentary about the prominent Palestinian-American intellectual.
The section also revisits earlier works through restored versions of Farouk Beloufa’s “Nahla” and Idrissa Ouedraogo’s “Tilaï,” placing contemporary experimentation alongside films that have shaped cinema’s history.
Cinema for young audiences and families
The program also makes room for younger viewers, with 11 screenings for children, teenagers, and their families. Jamel Debbouze will introduce Philippe Riche’s animated film “Girl in the Clouds,” alongside the world premiere of Moroccan filmmaker Mohcine Besri’s “All But My Mother,” starring Omar Lotfi and Abdellah Didane.
A citywide celebration of cinema
Together, the seven sections offer a program that moves from emerging filmmakers and local productions to international names and restored classics.
The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival runs from November 20 to 28, with screenings at the Palais des Congrès, Cinéma Le Colisée, and Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech.
Read Also: Swedish Documentary ‘Historjá’ Closes Nordic Film Week