Under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI. From November 11th to 19th, 2022, the Marrakech International Film Festival presents a wide selection of world cinema with 76 films from 33 countries, divided into several sections the official competition, the gala screenings, the special screenings, the 11th continent, the panorama of Moroccan cinema, screenings for young audiences, screenings at Djemaa El Fna and the films programmed as part of the awards.

True to the festival’s positioning, the official competition will present first and second feature films to unveil and nurture new talent in world cinema, organizers said in a press release.

Among the 14 films selected, 10 are first feature films and 6 have been signed by women directors. It is an eclectic selection from 14 different countries including 2 from Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), 3 from Europe (France, Portugal and Switzerland), 4 from the MENA region and its diaspora (Morocco, Sweden/Somalia, Syria, Tunisia). , as well as Australia, Canada, Iran, Indonesia and Turkey.

The films competing for the Etoile d’or explore different cinematographic genres, from fantasy to film noir, including historical, social drama, thriller or melodrama, and address issues that reflect the concerns of young people around the world: that Building identity and the need to have role models, the place of women in our societies today, but also the issues of transmission, be it a question of tradition, political heritage or simply “love”.

To open this 19th edition, festival-goers can discover Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro, the new marvel of Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, co-directed with Mark Gustafson. This musically animated stop motion film reinvents the adventures of the famous wooden puppet who dreamed of becoming a real little boy.

The Gala Sessions present the premieres of international films by renowned filmmakers such as James Gray (Armageddon Time), Neil Jordan (Marlowe), Tarik Saleh (Boy From Heaven) or Paul Schrader (Master Gardener); as well as films that have made waves on the international scene, such as the Palestinian comedy-drama Mediterranean Fever, the suspense thriller La Syndicalist, starring Isabelle Huppert; and the British-Egyptian film The Swimmers, which tells the true story of two swimmers who fled Syria to compete in the 2016 Olympics.

The Special Screenings section presents 15 contemporary films, particularly from Iceland, India or South Korea, signed by filmmakers acclaimed by critics or the biggest international festivals, including Alice Diop, Joanna Hogg, Marie Kreutzer, Jafar Panahi, as well as Fatih Akin and Philippe Faucon , who both shot their films in Morocco.

The 11th Continent section presents bold and innovative films that shake cinematic representations. Composed of 12 feature films, documentaries and archive films, this program opens a dialogue between contemporary world cinema (Paraguay, Brazil, Lebanon, Spain, Rwanda…) and two classic works, shown in restored copies and at the forefront of African cinema.

The panorama of Moroccan cinema will present a selection of 5 current fictions and documentaries of national production and will open with the latest fiction by filmmaker Faouzi Bensaïdi, Days of Summer, which will be screened as a world premiere. Moroccan cinema will be strongly represented at this edition, with a total of 15 films in the different sections of the festival.

To raise awareness of tomorrow’s viewers, the “Young Audiences” program offers school children the opportunity to discover cinema through 9 dedicated sessions.

Jemaa El Fna square will bring the festival to life in the heart of the city of Marrakech through a program of popular films presented by personalities such as Anurag Kashyap, who will present his latest film Almost Love as a world premiere.

Finally, some films by international and Moroccan personalities, to whom the festival will pay tribute, will be screened at the Palais des Congrès, the Colisée cinema and the Jemaa El Fna, completing this rich selection of 76 films.

Official competition

ALMA VIVA By Cristèle Alves Meira / Portugal

Interpretation: Lua Michel, Ana Padrão, Jacqueline Corado, Duarte Pina, Catherine Salée

ASHKAL By Youssef Chebbi / Tunisia

Cast: Fatma Oussaifi, Mohamed Houcine Grayaa, Rami Harrabi, Hichem Riahi, Nabil Trabelsi, Bahri Rahali

ASTRACHAN By David Depesseville / France

Cast: Mirko Giannini Samuel, Jehnny Beth, Bastien Bouillon

AUTOBIOGRAPHY From Makbul Mubarak / Indonesia

Cast: Kevin Ardilova, Arswendy Bening Swara, Haru Sandra, Rukman Rosadi, Yusuf Mahardika

THE KAFTAN BLUE (Azraq Al Qaftan) By Maryam Touzani / Morocco

Cast: Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Missioui

MORE SONG (Cañçao ao Longe) By Clarissa Campolina / Brazil

Cast: Mônica Maria, Carlos Francisco, Jhon Narvaez, Margô Assis, Matilde Biagi, Ricardo Campos

PETROL By Alena Lodkina / Australia

Interpretation: Nathalie Morris, Hannah Lynch

RED SHOES (Zapatos rojos) By Carlos Kaiser Eichelmann / Mexico

Cast: Eustacio Ascacio, Natalia Solian, Phanie Molina, Irine Herrera

Riceboy is sleeping By Anthony Shim / Canada

Cast: Choi Seung-yoon, Ethan Hwang, Dohyun Noel Hwang, Anthony Shim, Hunter Dillon

WILD (Amina) By Ahmed Abdullahi / Sweden

Cast: Nimco Ahmed Ali, Jamilah Mohamed Kirih, Ariane Castellanos

SNOW AND THE BEAR (Kar ve Ayı) By Selcen Ergun / Turkey

Cast: Merve Dizdar, Saygın Soysal, Asiye Dinçsoy, Erkan Bektaş, Derya Pınar Ak

BLACK KNIGHT (A Tale of Shemroon) By Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi / Iran

Cast: Iman Sayad Borhani, Payar Allahyari, Masoumeh Beygi, Behzad Dorani

THE TASTE OF APPLES IS RED (Ta’am al-tufah, ahmar) By Ehab Tarabieh / Syria

Cast: Mariam J. Khoury, Tarik Kopty, Rula Blal, Hussien Rumiah, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Suheil Haddad

LIGHTNING (Thunder) By Carmen Jaquier / Switzerland

Cast: Lilith Grasmug, Mermoz Melchior, Benjamin Python, Noah Watzlawick, Sabine Timoteo

Panorama of the Moroccan cinema

Opening of the Panorama of Moroccan Cinema:

SUMMER DAYS (Ayam Seif) by Faouzi Bensaïdi / Morocco

Cast: Mouna Fettou, Mohcine Malzi, Nezha Rahil, Nadia Kounda, Abdou Taleb, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Hasna Moumni, Mohamed Choubi, Saïd Bey, Noureddine Saadane, Abderrahim Samadi

ABDELINHO By Hicham Ayouch / Morocco

Cast: Abderahim Tamimi, Ali Suliman, Ines Monteiro, Said Bey, Zhor Simani, Abdelslam Bounouacha

GOLDFISH / GOLDFISH (Asmak hamrae) from Abdeslam Kelai / Morocco

Cast: Jalila Talemsi, Nisrine Erradi, Farida Bouazzaoui, Amine Ennaji, Mohamed Choubi

THE POSTCARD (Fi zaouiyat omi) by Asmae El Moudir / Morocco

Documentary with: Oum Eleid, Ouardiya, Chraibi, Aicha Touda ZIYARA By Simone Bitton / Morocco Documentary