Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 11:32
Rabat – Italian director Luca Guadagnino will chair the jury of the 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, scheduled from November 29 to December 7.
Nine personalities from nine different countries and representing five continents make up the jury for this 21st edition, chaired by Italian director Luca Guadagnino, the organizers indicate in a press release.
To decide between the films in the competition, Mr. Guadagnino will be surrounded by an exceptional jury, made up of key figures in world cinema, namely the Iranian director Ali Abbasi, the Indian director Zoya Akhtar, the American actress Patricia Arquette, the Belgian actress Virginie Efira, Australian actor Jacob Elordi, British-American actor Andrew Garfield, Moroccan actress Nadia Kounda, and Argentinian director Santiago Miter, specifies the same source.
The jury will award the Golden Star of the 21st edition to one of the 14 films in competition, after that awarded last year to “The Mother of All Lies” by Asmae El Moudir by the jury chaired by Jessica Chastain, it continued, noting that the winners will be announced during the closing ceremony of the Festival, scheduled for Saturday December 7.
A prolific director, known for his eclecticism, his taste for discovery and his great cinephilia, Luca Guadagnino has established himself over the last 15 years as one of the most brilliant filmmakers in his country, Italy, leading an international career and turning with leading actors such as Tilda Swinton, Timothée Chalamet and more recently, Zendaya and Daniel Craig.
His filmography, which mixes fiction, documentaries and a series, testifies to the immense talent of this filmmaker, who ardently films youth and desire, and to whom we owe successful films such as Call Me By Your Name and Challengers.
“I will never forget the first time I came to Marrakech. It was more than twenty years ago, my friend Valentina Cervi was a member of the short film jury and she invited me. I did not know Morocco, but my mother, Algerian, had grown up in this country and moved to Casablanca at the age of five,” declared the future president of the jury when his nomination was announced.
He added that “the first time I landed in the big city of Marrakech, it was for this extraordinary festival and from then on, this city and cinema were inseparably linked for me. My Arab DNA is powerfully anchored in the magical powers of the Marrakech Festival and it is for me an immense honor to chair the jury for this 21st edition. I am very much looking forward to seeing all the superb films and meeting all the wonderful filmmakers who will be there”.
