The 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (MIFF) began on November 29. Running until December 7, the festival will present 70 features from 32 countries, including Oscar nominees. The festival, founded by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and presided over by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, plays a major role in showcasing and promoting Moroccan films and directors.
While the festival incorporates a global canvas, it places special emphasis on emerging directors and films from the Middle East and Africa. Commenting on MIFF’s mission, Remi Bonhomme, the festival’s artistic director, said: “We pay a lot of attention to countries that are underrepresented in cinema,” he said. “We support filmmakers who have their voices and develop a story in a specific context, whether Iran, Morocco, or the US. But they don’t have to be the voice of their country. They need to have the freedom to express their vision.”
The festival opened with The Order, a thriller starring Jude Law that chronicles an FBI manhunt for the leader of a white supremacist group. Bonhomme is excited about the theme of family in this year’s films. Filmmakers, including The Seed of the Sacred Fig director Mohammad Rasoulof, are “exploring social and political impact through the scale of a family,” Bonhomme said.
MIFF’s 2024 jury competition contains 14 first or second films. The nine-person jury includes actors Jacob Elordi and Andrew Garfield and Ali Abbasi, the Iranian-Danish director of The Apprentice. Luca Guadagnino is presiding over the jury. The films in competition include Saïd Hamich’s Across the Sea and Damian Kocur’s Under the Volcano, as well as Poland’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature.
Notably, the Marrakech Film Festival is set to showcase an 18-minute preview of the upcoming biopic Al-Sitt, starring Mona Zaki and directed by Marwan Hamed. The film, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Big Time Fund and announced by Turki Alalshikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority, marks the first cinematic portrayal of the legendary singer Umm Kulthum. Zaki takes on the role of the iconic singer in the production, which has now completed filming. The project was shot over six months in locations including the Media Production City’s rural district and a theatre in downtown Cairo. Al-Sitt is currently in post-production.
Each year, MIFF attracts prominent filmmakers, directors, and actors from the global cinema industry. This year’s edition is expected to be attended by Sean Penn, Alfonso Cuaron, and David Cronenberg.
