THE MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL  ANNOUNCES ITS OFFICIAL SELECTION

For its 20th edition, taking place from November 24th to December 2nd, 2023, the Marrakech International Film Festival presents a selection of films from around the globe. Seventy-five films from 36 countries are screening in several sections: the Official Competition; Gala Screenings; Special Screenings; The 11th Continent; a Panorama of Moroccan Cinema; Cinema for Young Audiences; screenings on Jemaa El Fna; and Tributes to figures of world cinema.

The Official Competition, a selection of first and second feature films, reveals new talent in world cinema. Of the 14 films in competition, 10 are by first-time directors, of whom eight are women. Thirteen countries are represented, among them three Latin American nations (Brazil, Chile, and Colombia); three European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and the United Kingdom); five from the Middle East and Africa (Madagascar, Morocco, Senegal, and Palestine); as well as Mongolia, Turkey, and the USA.

The films in the running for the Étoile d’Or explore a variety of cinematic genres, from modern fable, documentary, and film noir to political farce, romance and family drama. The 14 filmmakers selected for the Official Competition have produced remarkably mature cinematic works that consider questions of education, the transmission of memory and national history, and that paint a portrait of young people in search of meaning and freedom.

This 20th edition of the festival opens with director Richard Linklater’s fast-paced comedy Hit Man, starring the charismatic Glen Powell. A blend of action film and romantic comedy, this hilarious film is set to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

This year’s six Gala Screenings present regional premieres of some of the most eagerly awaited international films of the year. Italian director Matteo Garrone attends the festival with I, Captain (Io Capitano), a contemporary odyssey that tells the story of two Senegalese youths on an adventurous journey to Europe. Michel Franco present Memory, a deeply moving film featuring an unforgettable turn by Jessica Chastain, who serves as President of this year’s jury. Australian actor Simon Baker attends Marrakech with Ivan Sen’s Limbo, an ultra-stylish, black-and-white thriller in which the Mentalist star is transformed. Three Gala screenings bring comic relief to the festival: Étoile d’Or-winner Alexander Payne returns to the Marrakech International Film Festival with The Holdovers, a tender comedy driven by a trio of deeply moving performances. Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaidi will present Deserts, his mystical and ludicrous western-like take on ultra-liberalism. The gala sessions will close with Cédric Kahn’s Making Of, a behind-the-scenes social comedy starring the irresistible Jonathan Cohen.

Special Screenings feature 16 contemporary films, including several by prestigious directors including Nikolaj Arcel, Bertrand Bonello, Monia Chokri, Agnieszka Holland, Ladj Ly, and Alice Rohrwacher. The programme also showcases new talents world cinema with Animalia, Sofia Alaoui’s fantastic and poetic fable, Europa by Etoile d’Or-winner Sudabeh Mortezai, and Gabor Reisz’s Explanation for Everything, a captivating work about education. Two exciting actors attend with their latest films: Isabelle Huppert, who appears in Elise Girard’s Sidonie in Japan and Merve Dizdar, whose role in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s About Dried Grasse saw her win the Best Actress award at this year’s Festival de Cannes.

Comprised of 13 innovative drama and documentary films, the 11th Continent programme opens up dialogue between contemporary films and classic works that have been at the forefront of the history of cinema. The selection features the latest works by critically acclaimed filmmakers Kleber Mendonça Filho, Lisandro Alonso, and Mona Achache, as well as films by a new generation of daring auteurs, including Alain Kassanda, Rosine Mbakam, Vlad Petri, and Eduardo Williams.

The Panorama of Moroccan Cinema offers a chance to discover six recent drama and documentary films from the festival’s home nation, two of which are world premieres: Khalil Zairi’s Mora Is Here and Hicham Lasri’s Moroccan Badass Girl. Moroccan cinema, which has been celebrated at some of the most prestigious film events throughout the year, has a significant presence throughout this year’s festival, with 15 films presented in its various sections.

To raise awareness among the film-goers of tomorrow, the Cinema for Young Audiences programme features 13 screenings dedicated to young people aged 4 to 18.

The festival comes to life on Jemaa El Fna square in the heart of Marrakech with a programme of popular films presented by leading personalities.

Finally, the Tributes programme offers a selection of films featuring or made by the personalities to whom the festival pays homage this year. These screenings take place at the Palais des Congrès, the Cinéma le Colisée, and on Jemaa El Fna square, rounding off the event’s selection of 75 films.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

BANEL & ADAMA (BANEL E ADAMA)

1. Ramata-Toulaye Sy / France, Senegal, Mali

with Khady Mane, Mamadou Diallo, Binta Racine Sy, Moussa Sow, Ndiabel Diallo

BYE BYE TIBERIAS (BYE BYE TIBÉRIADE)

1. Lina Soualem / Palestine, France, Belgium, Qatar / Documentary

with Hiam Abbass

CITY OF WIND (SÈR SÈR SALHI)

1. ​​Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir / France, Mongolia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Qatar

with Tergel Bold-Erdene, Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba

DISCO AFRIKA: A MALAGASY STORY (DISCO AFRIKA : UNE HISTOIRE MALGACHE)

1. Luck Razanajaona / France,  Madagascar, Mauritius, Germany, South Africa

with Parista Sambo, Laurette Ramasinjanahary, Joe Lerova, Drwina Razafimahaleo, Jérôme Oza

DORMITORY (YURT)

1. Nehir Tuna / Turkey, Germany, France

with Doga Karakas, Can Bartu Arslan, Ozan Çelik, Tansu Biçer, Didem Ellialti, Orhan Güner, Isilti Su Alyanak

EXCURSION (EKSKURZIJA)

d.Una Gunjak / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, Qatar

With Asja Zara Lagumdžija, Nađa Spaho, Maja Izetbegović, Mediha Musliović, Izudin Bajrović

HOUNDS (LES MEUTES)

1. Kamal Lazraq / Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

with Ayoub Elaid, Abdellatif Masstouri, Mohamed Hmimsa, Abdellah Lebkiri, Lahcen Zaimouzen, Salah Bensalah

 

THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES  (LA MÈRE DE TOUS LES MENSONGES / KADIB ABYAD)

1. Asmae El Moudir / Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar / Documentary

with Zahra Jeddaoui, Mohamed El Moudir, Ouardia Zorkani, Abdallah Ez Zouid, Said Masrour, Asmae El Moudir

THE OTHER SON (EL OTRO HIJO)

1. Juan Sebastián Quebrada / Colombia, France, Argentina

with Miguel González, Ilona Almansa, Jenny Nava, Simón Trujillo

PHANTOM YOUTH (NOTRE MONDE / BOTA JONË)

1. Luàna Bajrami / Kosovo, France

with Elsa Mala, Albina Krasniqi, Don Shala, Aurora Ferati, Gani Rrahmani, Uratë Shaban

PRISON IN THE ANDES (PENAL CORDILLERA)

1. Felipe Carmona / Chile, Brazil

with Andrew Bargsted, Hugo Medina, Bastián Bodenhöfer, Alejandro Trejo, Mauricio Pešutić, Óscar Hernández

SILENT ROAR

1. Johnny Barrington / United Kingdom

with Louis McCartney, Ella Lily Hyland, Mark Lockyer, Victoria Balnaves, Fiona Bell, Pablo Raybould

TOLL (PEDÁGIO)

1. Carolina Markowicz / Brazil, Portugal

with Maeve Jinkings, Kauan Alvarenga, Thomás Aquino, Aline Marta Maia, Isac Graça

TUESDAY

1. Daina O. Pusič / USA, United Kingdom

with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lola Petticrew, Leah Harvey, Arinzé Kene

 

GALA SCREENINGS

DESERTS (DÉSERTS)

1. Faouzi Bensaïdi / France, Germany, Morocco, Belgium, Qatar

with Fehd Benchemsi, Abdelhadi Taleb, Rabii Benjhaile, Hajar Graigaa, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Nezha Rahil

HIT MAN

1. Richard Linklater  / USA

with Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta

THE HOLDOVERS (WINTER BREAK)

1. Alexander Payne / USA

with Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston

LIMBO

1. Ivan Sen / Australia

with Simon Baker, Rob Collins, Natasha Wanganeen, Nicholas Hope, Mark Coe

MAKING OF

1. Cédric Kahn / France

with Denis Podalydès, Jonathan Cohen, Stefan Crepon, Souheila Yacoub, Emmanuelle Bercot, Xavier Beauvois, Valérie Donzelli

ME CAPTAIN (MOI CAPITAINE / IO CAPITANO)

1. Matteo Garrone / Italy, Belgium

with Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawagodo, Hichem Yacoubi, Doodou Sagna, Khady Sy, Bamar Kane, Cheick Oumar Diaw

MEMORY

1. Michel Franco / Mexico, USA

with Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper, Josh Charles

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

ABOUT DRIED GRASSES (LES HERBES SÈCHES / KURU OTLAR ÜSTÜNE)

1. Nuri Bilge Ceylan / Turkey, France, Germany

with Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici, Ece Bağcı, Erdem Şenocak, Yüksel Aksu

ANIMALIA

1. Sofia Alaoui / France, Morocco, Qatar

with Oumaïma Barid, Mehdi Dehbi, Fouad Oughaou

THE BEAST (LA BÊTE)

De.Bertrand Bonello / France, Canada

With Léa Seydoux, George MacKay

BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS (LES ORDINAIRES / OURA EL JBEL)

1. Mohamed Ben Attia / Tunisia, Belgium, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar

with Majd Mastoura, Samer Bisharat, Walid Bouchhioua, Selma Zeghidi, Helmi Dridi, Wissem Belgharek

LA CHIMERA

de Alice Rohrwacher / Italy, France, Switzerland

with Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Carol Duarte, Vincenzo Nemolato

EUROPA

1. Sudabeh Mortezai / Austria

with Lilith Stangenberg, Jetnor Gorezi, Steljona Kadillari, Mirando Sylari, Tobias Winter

EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING

1. Gabor Reisz / Hungary, Slovakia

with Gáspár Adonyi-Walsh, István Znamenák, András Rusznák, Rebeka Hatházi, Eliza Sodró, Lilla Kizlinger

GOODBYE JULIA

1. Mohamed Kordofani / Sudan, Egypt, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Sweden

with Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Gomaa, Ger Duany, Stephanos James Peter

GREEN BORDER (ZIELONA GRANICA)

1. Agnieszka Holland / Poland, USA, France, Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Turkey

with Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Behi Djanati Atai, Mohamad Al Rashi, Dalia Naous, Tomasz Włosok

LES INDÉSIRABLES (BÂTIMENT 5)

1. Ladj Ly / France, Belgium

with Anta Diaw, Alexis Manenti, Aristote Luyindula, Steve Tientcheu, Aurélia Petit, Jeanne Balibar

MACHTAT

1. Sonia Ben Slama / Tunisia, Lebanon, France, Qatar / Documentary

with Fatma Khayat, Najeh Ghared, Waffeh Ghared

THE NATURE OF LOVE (SIMPLE COMME SYLVAIN)

1. Monia Chokri / Canada, France

with Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Monia Chokri, Francis-William Rhéaume, Steve Laplante, Marie-Ginette Guay

THE PROMISED LAND (BASTARDEN)

1. Nikolaj Arcel / Denmark

with Mads Mikkelsen, Amanda Collin, Gustav Lindh, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Simon Bennebjerg

SARAFINA!

1. Darrel James Roodt / South Africa / 1992 (restored version)

with Leleti Khumalo Whoopi Goldberg Miriam Makeba John Kani Mbongeni Ngema

SIDONIE IN JAPAN (SIDONIE AU Japan)

1. Élise Girard / France

with Isabelle Huppert, August Diehl, Tsuyoshi Ihara

TERRESTRIAL VERSES (CHRONIQUES DE TÉHÉRAN / AYEH HAYE ZAMINI)

1. Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami / Iran

with Majid Salehi, Gouhar Kheir Andish, Sadaf Asgari

THE 11TH CONTINENT

BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS (ÎNTRE REVOLUȚII)

1. Vlad Petri / Romania, Croatia / Documentary

THE BRIDE (LA MARIÉE / UMUGENI)

1. Myriam Birara / Rwanda

with Sandra Umulisa, Aline Amike, Daniel Gaga, Justine Musabyeyezu, Beata Mukakamanzi

CASABLANCA

1. Adriano Valerio / France, Italy / Documentary

with Fouad Miftah, Daniela Brandi

COCONUT HEAD GENERATION

1. Alain Kassanda  / Nigeria, France / Documentary

with Tobi Akinde, Deyo Adebiyi, Leye Komolafe, Adeyosola Adeniran

THE DUPES (LES DUPES / AL-MAKHDU’UN)

1. Tewfik Saleh / Syria / 1972 – (restored version)

with Mohamed Kheir-Halouani, Abderrahman Alrahy, Bassan Lofti Abou-Ghazala, Saleh Kholoki, Thanaa Debsi

EUREKA

1. Lisandro Alonso / France, Germany, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina

with Viggo Mortensen, Chiara Mastroianni, Alaina Clifford, Sadie Lapointe

FOREMOST BY NIGHT (SOBRE TODO DE NOCHE)

1. Víctor Iriarte / Spain, Portugal, France

with Lola Dueñas, Ana Torrent, Manuel Egozkue

A GOLDEN LIFE (OR DE VIE)

1. Boubacar Sangaré / Burkina Faso, Benin, France / Documentary

THE HUMAN SURGE 3 (EL AUGE DEL HUMANO 3)

1. Eduardo William / Argentina, Portugal, the Netherlands, Taïwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Peru

with Meera Nadarasa, Sharika Navamani, Livia Silvano, Abel Navarro, Ri Ri Yang, Bo-Kai Hsu

LITTLE GIRL BLUE

1. Mona Achache / France, Belgium

with Marion Cotillard

MAMBAR PIERRETTE

1. Rosine Mbakam / Belgium, Cameroon

with Pierrette Aboheu, Duval Franklin Nwodu Chinedu, Marguerite Mbakop, Cécile Tchana, Nancy Karelle Kenmogne Fondjo, Fabrice Ndjeuthat

PHANTOM BEIRUT (BEYROUTH FANTÔME / ASHBAH BEYROUTH)

1. Ghassan Salhab / France, Lebanon / 1998 (restored version)

with Darina Al Joundi, Aouni Kawas, Carole Aboud, Rabih Mroueh

PICTURES OF GHOSTS (PORTRAITS FANTÔMES / RETRATOS FANTASMAS)

1. Kleber Mendonça Filho / Brazil / Documentary

 

PANORAMA OF MOROCCAN CINEMA

BIRDLAND (INDIVISION)

1. Leila Kilani / Morocco, France

with Ifham Mathet, Ikram Layachi, Bahia Bootia El Oumami, Mustafa Shimdat, Jaafar Brigui

MORA IS HERE (MORA EST LÀ / MOUGHA YOUCHKED)

1. Khalil Zairi / Morocco / Documentary

with Fatima Attini, Hamid Oukattou, Ehdih Bachar, Josette Breton, Asmaa Bouykidarn, Moussa Akhedime

MOROCCAN BADASS GIRL

1. Hicham Lasri / Morocco

with Fadoua Taleb, Salah Bensalah, Malek Akhmiss, Karam Lamrani

MY DAD IS NOT DEAD (MON PÈRE N’EST PAS MORT)

1. Adil El Fadili / Morocco

with Adam Raghal,  Abdelnbi El Beniwi, Nadia Kouunda, Fatima Atef, Aziz El Fadili, Didier Benureau

MY THURSDAY SOUK (MON SOUK DU JEUDI / SOUK EL KHMIS D’EL GARA)

1. Izza Edery-Génini / Morocco, France / Documentary

with the residents of El Gara, the Edery family

TRIPLE A

1. Jihane El Bahhar / Morocco

with Majdouline Idrissi, Aziz Daddas, Hind Benjebara, Khalil Oubaaqa, Fatema Zahra Benasser, Abdellatif Chawki

 

CINEMA FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

THE CAMEL AND THE MILLER (LE CHAMEAU ET LE MEUNIER)

1. Abdollah Alimorad / Iran

DOUNIA AND THE PRINCESS OF ALEPPO (DOUNIA ET LA PRINCESSE D’ALEP)

1. Marya Zarif & André Kadi / Canada, France

with Rachaf Ataya, Elsa Madorissian, Manuel tadros, Raïa Haidar, Marya Zarif

MICA

1. Ismaël Ferroukhi / Morocco, France

with Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani, Azelarab Kaghat

NINA AND THE HEDGEHOG’S SECRET (NINA ET LE SECRET DU HÉRISSON)

1. Alain Gagnol & Jean-Loup Felicioli / France, Luxembourg

with Audrey Tautou, Guillaume Canet, Loan Longchamp, Keanu Peyran, Guillaume Bat

NO LOVE LOST (LA FILLE DE SON PÈRE)

1. Erwan Le Duc / France

with Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Céleste Brunnquell, Maud Wyler, Mohammed Louridi, Mercedes Dassy

THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY (ARRIETTY : LE PETIT MONDE DES CHAPARDEURS / KARIGURASHI NO ARIETTI)

1. Hiromasa Yonebayashi / Japan

with Mirai Shida, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Fujiwara

PLACE JEMAA EL FNA

BLUE ELEPHANT 2 (L’ÉLÉPHANT BLEU 2 / EL FEEL EL AZRAQ 2)

1. Marwan Hamed / Egypt

with Hend Sabry, Nelly Karim, Karim Abdel Aziz

DADOS

1. Abdelouahed Mjahed / Morocco

with Rafik Boubker, Majdouline Idrissi, Ibtissam Laroussi, Jamila El Haouni, Sandia About Tajeddine, Driss Roukhe

GREEN CARD

1. Hicham Regragui / Morocco

with Fayçal Azizi, Aziz Hattab, Hashem Bastaoui, Hassna Moumni, Fatima Ezzahra Baladi, Hamid Nider

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (INDIANA JONES ET LE CADRAN DE LA DESTINÉE)

1. James Mangold / USA

with Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Ethann Isidore

PATHAAN

1. Siddharth Anand / India

with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham

SHINE A LIGHT

1. Martin Scorsese / USA / Documentary

with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood

VOLUBILIS

1. Faouzi Bensaïdi / France, Morocco

with Mouhcine Malzi, Nadia Kounda, Abdelhadi Taleb, Nezha Rahil, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Mouna Fettou

VOY ! VOY ! VOY !

1. Omar Hilal / Egypt, United Arab Emirates

with Mohammed Farrag, Nelly Karim, Bayoumi Fouad, Taha Dessouki, Amgad El Haggar