His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, in his capacity as President of the Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation, affirmed that the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) aims to provide “an invitation for discovery, empathy, and sharing” and an opportunity to celebrate cinema as a “bastion of peace that brings people closer together and allows for the discovery of other cultures”.
In a message published on the Foundation’s website, HRH Prince Moulay Rachid stated that “the Marrakech Film Festival returns for its twentieth edition this year,” adding, “We wish to pay heartfelt tribute to the victims of the tragic natural disaster that struck the region over two months ago.”
His Royal Highness noted that in a world marked by catastrophes and terrible tensions, “cinema stands as a bastion of peace that brings people closer together and allows for the discovery of other cultures”, stressing that the Festival “perpetuates this tradition, with every screening, with every conversation, providing an invitation for discovery, empathy, and sharing”.
HRH Prince Moulay Rachid also stressed that the choice of Marrakech to host this grand mass of the world’s seventh art is not coincidental, underlining that “historically, the magnificent Ochre City has always been a crossroads of cultures and a place of encounters and exchanges”.
Referring to the program for the 20th edition of the Festival (November 24 – December 2), His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid underlined that this year’s edition will be “once again distinguished by the presence of immensely talented film professionals who continue to contribute to the history of cinema with their talent”.
His Royal Highness also recalled that two exceptional personalities will be in the spotlight, namely “the legendary, greatly talented Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, and the brilliant Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaïdi, whose films shine at the most prestigious festivals”, adding that “the esteemed jury of world-renowned personalities is chaired by actor and producer Jessica Chastain, whose magnetic aura has brought her worldwide acclaim and has seen her win the Academy Award for Best Actress” and that great names of cinema will animate the traditional “In Conversations With” program.
“We must also praise the Atlas Workshops, now an essential event, which hosts meetings between professionals to support African and Middle Eastern cinemas,” stated HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, adding that “this edition takes place under the patronage of the celebrated director and friend of the Marrakech International Film Festival, Martin Scorsese.”
“Let us come together, on the legendary Jemaa El Fna square and in the various venues that host the festival’s numerous events, to discover the world as seen through the magical eyes of filmmakers, and to participate once again in the construction and consolidation of a world of peace and serenity,” concluded HRH Prince Moulay Rachid.