Marrakech Director Melita Toscan du Plantier on Navigating MENA Region’s Turbulent Festival Season: ‘We Had to Fight Against Adversity’
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Melita Toscan du Plantier has been the driving force behind the Marrakech Film Festival ever since her late husband, revered French producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, wrote to Morocco’s king two decades ago expressing “his ambition for a big international festival in Morocco,” as she recounts.
The festival’s 20th edition is currently underway in the ancient Moroccan city, despite the Israel-Hamas conflict that has caused cancellations of several other fests in the region as well as the earthquake that hit the country in September.
Significantly, a slew of stars have turned up to support the event such as Tilda Swinton, Jessica Chastain (who is presiding over the main jury) and Isabelle Huppert (pictured with Toscan du Plantier on the right, while fest VP Faïçal Laraïchi is on the left).
Variety spoke to Melita Toscan du Plantier about navigating this year’s many challenges, including the increasingly crowded end-of-year Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region festival season. You are the key figure behind this festival since its inception 20 years ago.
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