The 18th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival runs from November 29th to December 7th, 2019.
THE MARRAKECH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS ITS OFFICIAL SELECTION
Rabat, November 7th, 2019. Some 98 flms from 34 different countries have been selected for the 18th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which runs from November 29th to December 7th, 2019. The flms have been programmed in various sections, including the Offcial Competition, Gala Screenings, a tribute to Australian Cinema, Special Screenings, the 11th Continent, a Moroccan Panorama, Cinema for Young Audiences, Jemaa El Fna open-air screenings, Audio-Described Cinema, and tributes to signifcant cinema personalities.
The 18th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival is a showcase of the diversity and creativity of world cinema. Across a wide range of sections, no fewer than 98 movies from 34 countries will be screened.
The Ofcial Competition remains faithful to the Festival’s determination to screen frst or second feature-length movies to reveal and promote new talent in international cinema. The 14 flms in competition for the Étoile d’Or de Marrakech all bear witness to an astonishing sense of style and depth of thought, daring to explore new territories and establish personal and very original approaches to cinematographic creation.
The Competition also represents an eclectic selection that showcases multiple cinematographic universes from different parts of the world, with three European flms from the UK, Italy, and Serbia; two flms from Latin America, hailing from Brazil and Colombia; one US flm; another from Australia; three Asian flms from China, India, and South Korea; and four flms from the Middle East and Africa, from Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Senegal. Of the 14 flms in competition, fve are by women directors.
The Festival opens with a major US thriller, Knives Out. Directed by Rian Johnson, it offers a contemporary and comic approach to the murder-mystery genre.
The Gala Screenings section presents screenings of flms by respected flmmakers, including Marriage Story by Noah Baumbach (USA), The Irishman by Martin Scorsese (USA), and It Must Be Heaven by Elia Suleiman (Palestine).
Three wonderful frst flms complete the Gala Screenings for this edition. Noura’s Dream from Hinde Boujemaa (Tunisia, Belgium, France) stars Hend Sabri in the lead role, and Adam from Maryam Touzani (Morocco) features Lubna Azabal and Nisrin Erradi. The Festival closes with a screening of Ras El Sana by Sakr (Egypt), featuring an impressive cast of the new generation of Egyptian stars. The nation of honour for this 18th edition, Australia will have a strong cinematic presence in Marrakech this year, with no fewer than 25 flms from auteur works to classics and popular hits, screening in different locations across the city.
True to the Festival’s tradition of being open to the rest of the world, the Special Screenings section presents a wide range of flms from different horizons. A total of 10 flms from the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, Tunisia, South Africa, France, and Sudan are featured.
Created in 2018, the 11th Continent section continues to explore new territories of cinematographic creation. Eleven flms, including fction and documentary, offer audiences unique and innovative writing and directing from bold flmmakers hailing from Belgium, Canada, Algeria, and Portugal, among other nations.
Moroccan cinema is once again showcased this year. In addition to flms in the Offcial Competition and Gala Screenings sections, the Moroccan Panorama presents a selection of four flms that reveal different aspects of Moroccan cinema to international industry professionals and media at the Festival. In total, 11 Moroccan flms will be screened across the Festival’s different sections.
In order to introduce children to the magic of cinema, the Festival continues its Cinema for Young Audiences programme with fve diverse feature-length flms from Estonia, France, Egypt, Japan, and Sweden.
An annual high point of the Festival’s public program is its open-air screenings on Jemaa El Fna. As is the case every year, this legendary square in Marrakech hosts a series of screenings of crowd-pleasers from India, Morocco, Egypt, the USA, and elsewhere.
Faithful to its societal commitments, the Festival also hosts fve screenings for the blind and partially sighted audiences, continuing a tradition for this major flm-related event. Audio-described screenings allow these audiences to enjoy a selection of flms programmed specifcally for them.
Finally, tribute is paid to some of the great names in cinema. Screenings of some of their key works will be shown at the Colisée cinema, in the two screening rooms at the Palais des Congrès and at Jemaa El Fna. OFFICIAL COMPETITION
BABYTEETH / Australia NAFI’S FATHER By Shannon Murphy (Baamum Naf) / Senegal Starring Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Emily By Mamadou Dia Barclay, Eugene Gilfedder, Essie Davis, Ben Starring Alassane Sy, Saïkou Lô, Aïcha Talla, Penda Mendelsohn Sy, Mamadou Bayo Sarr, Alassane Ndoye
BOMBAY ROSE / India, France, SCATTERED NIGHT UK, Qatar (Heut-eo-jin Bam) / South Korea By Gitanjali Rao By Lee Jih-young, Kim Sol Starring Cyli Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole, Starring Moon Seun-ga, Choi Jun-woo, Kim Hye- Makrand Deshpande young, Lim Ho
THE FEVER SOLE / Italia, Poland (A Febre) / Brazil, France, Germany By Carlo Sironi By Maya Da-Rin Starring Sandra Drzymalska, Claudio Segaluscio, Starring Regis Myrupu, Rosa Peixoto Bario, Barbara Ronchi, Bruno Buzzi
LAST VISIT TLAMESS / Tunisia, France (Akher Ziyara) /Saudi Arabia By Ala Eddine Slim By Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan Starring Abdullah Miniawy, Souhir Ben Amara, Starring Osama Alqess, Abdullah Alfahad, Fahad Khaled Ben Aïssa Alghariri, Mousaed Khaled, Ghazi Hamad THE UNKNOWN SAINT LYNN + LUCY /UK (Sid El-Majhoul) / Morocco, France By Fyzal Boulifa By Alaa Eddine Aljem Starring Roxanne Scrimshaw, Nichola Burley Starring Younes Bouab, Salah Bensalah, Bouchaib Essamak, Mohamed Naimane, Anas El Baz, Hassan MAMONGA /Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Ben Bdida, Abdelghani Kitab, Ahmed Yaab, Ahmed Montenegro Yarziz By Stefan Malešević Starring Marta Bjelica, Dražen Pavlović, VALLEY OF SOULS Nabi Tang, Vuk Janošević (Tantas Almas) / Colombia, Belgium, Brazil, France MICKEY AND THE BEAR /USA By Nicolás Rincón Gille By Annabelle Attanasio Starring Arley de Jesús Carvallido Lobo Starring Camila Morrone, James Badge Dale, Calvin Demba, Ben Rosenfeld, Rebecca Henderson
MOSAIC PORTRAIT (Ma Sai Ke Shao Nu) / China By Zhai Yixiang Starring Wang Yanhui, Wang Chuanjun, Zhang Tongxi, Chen Di, Xie Lixun, Liu Yiying, Ke Limu GALA SCREENINGS
ADAM / Morocco, France, Belgium By Maryam Touzani Starring Lubna Azabal, Nisrin Erradi, Douae Belkhaouda, Aziz Hattab, Hasna Tamtaoui
THE IRISHMAN / USA By Martin Scorsese Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin
IT MUST BE HEAVEN / France, Qatar, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Palestine By Elia Suleiman Starring Elia Suleiman, Tarik Kopti, Kareem Ghneim, George Khleif, Raiïa Haiïdar, Gael García Bernal
KNIVES OUT / USA By Rian Johnson Starring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer
MARRIAGE STORY / USA By Noah Baumbach Starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever, Azhy Robertson
RAS EL SANA / Egypt By Sakr Starring Eyad Nassar, Ahmed Malek, Sherine Reda, Engy El Mokaddem, Ali Kassem NOURA’S DREAM (Noura Tahlam) / Tunisia, France By Hinde Boujemaa Starring Hend Sabri, Lotf Abdelli, Hakim Boumsaoudi, Imen Cherif, Saif Dhrif, Jamel Sassi SPECIAL SCREENINGS
ALL THIS VICTORY A SON (Jidar Al-Sawt) / Lebanon (Bik N’Ish) / Tunisia, France, Lebanon, Qatar By Ahmad Ghossein By Mehdi M. Barsaoui Starring Karam Ghossein, Adel Chahine, Boutros Starring Sami Bouajila, Najla Ben Abdallah, Rouhana, Issam Bou, Khaled, Sahar Minkara, Flavia Youssef Khemiri, Noomen Hamda, Qasim Rawane, Juska Bechara Slah Msaddak, Mohamed Ali Ben Jemaa IF ONLY SOUTH TERMINAL (Magari) / Italy, France (Terminal Sud) / France By Ginevra Elkann By Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche Starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Alba Rohrwacher, Starring Ramzy Bedia, Amel Brahim-Djelloul, Ettore Giustiniani, Oro de Commarque, Millo Slimane Dazi, Salim Ameur-Zaïmeche, Nabil Roussel, Celine Sallette, Brett Gelman Djedouani
MOFFIE / South Africa STATE FUNERAL By Oliver Hermanus (Gosurdarstvennye Pohony) / Starring Kai Luke Brummer, Ryan de Villiers, Netherlands, Lithuania Matthew Vey, Stefan Vermaak, Hilton Pelser By Sergei Loznitsa Documentary NO. 7 CHERRY LANE (Ji Yuan Tai Qi Hao) / Hong Kong, China TALKING ABOUT TREES By Yonfan (Al-Hadith ’An Al-Ashjar) / France, Sudan, Starring Sylvia Chang, Zhao Wei, Alex Lam, Kelly Germany, Chad, Qatar Yao, Teresa Chung, Jiang Wen-li, Nathalie Duplessis By Suhaib Gasmelbari Documentary OUR LADY OF THE NILE (Notre-Dame du Nil) / France, Belgium, Rwanda WORKFORCE By Atiq Rahimi (Mano De Obra) / Mexico Starring Santa Amanda Mugabekazi, Albina Sydney By David Zonana Kirenga, Angel Uwamahoro, Clariella Bizimana, Starring Luis Alberti, Hugo Mendoza, Jonathan Belinda Rubango Simbi, Pascal Greggory Sanchez, Horacio Celestino, Francisco Díaz THE 11th CONTINENT
143 SAHARA STREET (143, Rue du Désert) / Algeria, France, Qatar By Hassen Ferhani Documentary
ABOU LEILA / Algeria, France, Qatar By Amin Sidi-Boumédiène Starring Slimane Benouari, Lyes Salem, Azouz Abdelkader, Fouad Megiraga, Meryem Medjkane, Hocine Mokhtar, Samir El Hakim
ATLANTICS (Atlantiques) / France, Senegal, Belgium By Mati Diop Starring Mama Sané, Amadou Mbow, Ibrahima Traoré, Nicole Sougou, Amina Kane THE GOLDEN WOLF OF BALOLÉ (Le loup d’or de Blolé) / Burkina Faso, France By Chloé Aïcha Boro Documentary GHOST TOWN ANTHOLOGY (Répertoire des villes disparues) / Canada By Denis Côté Starring Robert Naylor, Josée Deschênes, Jean-Michel Anctil, Larissa Corriveau, Rémi Goulet
GHOST TROPIC / Belgium By Bas Devos Starring Saadia Bentaïeb, Maaike Neuville, Stefan Gota, Cedric Luvuezo, Willy Thomas, Nora Dari MOTHER, I AM SUFFOCATING. THIS IS MY LAST FILM ABOUT YOU. / Lesotho, Qatar By Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese Starring Thato Khobotle, Mercy Koetle, Napo Kalebe, Molibeli Mokake, Pheku Lisema RIDGE (Säsong) / Sweden By John Skoog Starring Aron Skoog, Agnieszka Podsiadlik, Billie Åstrand, Gitt Persson SILENT DAYS (Hluché Dni) / Slovakia, Czech Republic By Pavol Pekarčík Starring Sandra Sivakova, Marian Hlavac, Alena Cervenakova, Rene Cervenak, Karmen Balogova, Roman Balog, Kristian Gazi
TECHNOBOSS / Portugal By João Nicolau Starring Miguel Lobo Antunes, Luísa Cruz, Américo Silva, Tiago Garrinhas, Sandra Faleiro MOROCCAN PANORAMA
ABOUT SOME MEANINGLESS EVENTS (Ahdiaath Bilaa Dlaala) By Mostafa Derkaoui Starring Abdellatif Nour, Abbas Fassi- Fihri, Hamid Zoughi, Mostafa Dziri, Aïcha Saâdoun, Mohamed Derham, Salah-Eddine Benmoussa, Abdelkader Moutaâ, Khalid Jamaï, Chafk Shimi, Malika El Mesrar, Omar Chenbout, Mostafa Nissabouri IN YOUR EYES, I SEE MY COUNTRY (Fi ‘Ainaki, Kanshuf Bilaadi) By Kamal Hachkar Documentary
A PLACE UNDER THE SUN (Makan tahta al-shams) / Morocco, France By Karim Aïtouna Documentary
THE WOMEN IN BLOCK J (Nisaa’ Al-Janaah Jim) By Mohamed Nadif Starring Assma El Hadrami, Jalila Talemssi, Nisrin Erradi, Imane Mechraf, Rim Fathi, Fatima Attif, Erradi, Kenza Fridou YOUNG AUDIENCES
CHILDREN OF THE SEA (Kaijū No Kodomo) / Japan By Ayumu Watanabe Starring Mana Ashida, Hiiro Ishibashi, Seishu Uragami
FORWARD (Demain est à nous) / France By Gilles de Maistre Documentary
GORDON & PADDY (Gordon Och Paddy) / Sweden By Linda Hambäck Starring Stellan Skarsgård, Melinda Kinnaman, Felix Herngren
JACOB, MIMMI AND THE TALKING DOGS (Jēkabs, Mimmi un Runājošie Suni) / Latvia, Poland By Edmunds Jansons Starring Olekts Eduards, Džumā Nora, Keišs Andris, Znotiņš Kaspars, Gāga Gatis, Liniņa Māra, Zilberts Eduards AUDIO-DESCRIBED SCREENINGS
KORSA / Morocco By Abdellah Toukouna Starring Abdellah Ferkous, Bouchra Ahraich, Khouloud Batioui, Fadila Ben Moussa, Omar Azzouzi
GRAND CENTRAL / France By Rebecca Zlotowski Starring Tahar Rahim, Léa Seydoux, Olivier Gourmet, Denis Menochet, Johan Libéreau
LION / UK, Australia, USA By Garth Davis Starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT / USA By Robert Redford Starring Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, Emily Lloyd OPEN-AIR SCREENINGS JEMAA EL FNA
A DAY FOR WOMEN (Yom Lil-Sitaat) / Egypt By Kamla Abouzekri Starring Elham Shahin, Nelly Karim, Ahmad Al Fishawy, Nahed El Sebai, Ahmed Dawood, Mahmoud Hemida, Farouk Al Fishawy, Hala Sedqi, Eyad Nassar
KING KONG / New Zealand, USA, Germany By Peter Jackson Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks
MACBETH / UK, France, USA By Justin Kurzel Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki, David Thewlis
BAJIRAO MASTANI / India By Sanjay Leela Bhansali Starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID / USA By George Roy Hill Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones
SHINE / Australia By Scott Hicks Starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud TRIBUTE TO AUSTRALIAN CINEMA
WAKE IN FRIGHT BLACK ROBE / Canada, Australia By Ted Kotchef By Bruce Beresford Starring Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Starring Lothaire Bluteau, Aden Young, Tantoo Rafferty, Sylvia Kay, Jack Thompson Cardinal, Frank Wilson, Billy Two Rivers, August (1971) Schellenberg (1991) WALKABOUT MURIEL’S WEDDING By P.J. Hogan By Nicolas Roeg Starring Toni Collette, Bill Hunter, Rachel Griffths Starring Jenny Agutter, David Gumpilil, Luc Roeg (1994) (1971) SHINE PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK By Scott Hicks By Peter Weir Starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Geoffrey Starring Rachel Roberts, Dominic Guard, Helen Rush, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud Morse, Jacki Weaver (1996) (1975) THE WELL MAD MAX By Samantha Lang By George Miller Starring Pamela Rabe, Miranda Otto, Paul Chubb, Starring Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays- Frank Wilson, Steve Jacobs Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward (1979) (1997) MY BRILLIANT CAREER LANTANA By Ray Lawrence By Gillian Armstrong Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Starring Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes, Hershey, Kerry Armstrong, Rachel Blake, Vince Robert Grubb, Max Cullen, Aileen Britton, Peter Colosimo, Russell Dykstra, Daniela Farinacci, Peter Whitford, Patricia Kennedys (1979) Phelps, Leah Purcell, Glenn Robbins ‘BREAKER’ MORANT (2001) By Bruce Beresford RABBIT-PROOF FENCE Starring Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Rod By Phillip Noyce Starring Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Mullinar (1980) Monaghan, David Gulpilil, Ningali Lawford, Myarn THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE Lawford, Deborah Mailman, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh By John Duigan (2002) Starring Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen, Ben Mendelsohn, Graeme Blundell, Lynette Curran BALIBO (1987) By Robert Connolly A CRY IN THE DARK Starring Anthony LaPaglia, Oscar Isaac, Damon Gameau, Bea Viegas, Anamaria Barreto (Evil Angels) (2009) By Fred Schepisi Starring Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves, David Hofin, Jason Reason (1988) TRIBUTE TO AUSTRALIAN CINEMA
BRAN NUE DAE FORCE OF DESTINY By Rachel Perkins By Paul Cox Starring Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Starring David Wenham, Jacqueline McKenzie, Kim Dingo, Missy Higgins, Geoffrey Rush, Deborah Gyngell, Shahana Goswami, Terry Norris Mailman, Tom Budge (2015) (2009) LOOKING FOR GRACE BRIGHT STAR / UK, Australia, France By Sue Brooks De Jane Campion Starring Radha Mitchell, Richard Roxburgh, Odessa Starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Young, Kenya Pearson, Harry Richardson Schneider, Kerry Fox (2015) (2009) ANIMAL KINGDOM LION / UK, Australia, USA By David Michôd By Garth Davis Starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Nicole Kidman, Sunny Pawar Stapleton, James Frecheville (2016) (2010) BREATH CHARLIE’S COUNTRY By Simon Baker By Rolf de Heer Starring Samson Coulter, Ben Spence, Simon Starring David Gulpilil, Peter Djigirr, Luke Ford, Baker, Elizabeth Debicki, Richard Roxburgh Bobby Bunungurr (2017) (2013) TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY MYSTERY ROAD GANG By Ivan Sen By Justin Kurzel Starring Samson Coulter, Ben Spence, Simon Starring George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Baker, Elizabeth Debicki, Samara Weaving, Hoult, Charlie Hunnam, Russell Crowe, Orlando Richard Roxburgh Schwerdt (2013) (2019)
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