Marrakech Film Fest Chief Talks This Year’s ‘More Sober’ Edition and ‘Biggest Supporter’ Martin Scorsese Mentoring MENA Filmmakers
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Marrakech Film Festival’s 20th edition kicks off on Friday with Richard Linklater’s action comedy “Hit Man” as its gala opening, Mads Mikkelsen being feted, and a rich roster of stars and top talents supporting a panoply of cinema from the African continent and the Arab world.
The event will run Nov. 24-Dec. 2 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.
It’s being held in a more sober form in a spirit of resilience to keep the flame of filmmaking burning in the region, which is cinematically vibrant but has a crucial need for connection with geographically distant countries in Africa and the Arab world as well as with the international circuit at large.
Variety spoke to the fest’s artistic director Rémi Bonhomme – a former driving force behind Cannes’ Critics Week – about the importance of Marrakech as a platform to “foster this young generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers.” Tell me about your determination to forge ahead with the festival. In these times of tensions and divisions, we really believe that it is more important than ever to preserve the spaces for dialogue offered by film festivals.
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