Justin Kurzel's neo-Nazi thriller The command The twenty-first Marrakesh International Film Festival opened on Friday evening, with the director traveling from Australia, where he recently completed a drama about World War II. The narrow road to the far north With Yaqoub Al-Wardi.
Kurzel told Deadline that the Moroccan festival has been a special place for him since he made the 24-hour flight from Australia in 2011 to compete with his first feature film, the true crime drama. SnowtownWhich won the Jury Prize and Best Actor for Daniel Henshall.
“The French distributor asked me to come. It's a long way… She said, 'You'd better come… the festival will change you.' So I did… And the city is just, it's really very magical. It was the first time I've been there. With first-time filmmakers, so I was able to establish a small group of people, a little bit of a tribe.
Kurzel was joined by AGC President Stuart Ford, who produced The commandAlong with the director, the film stars Jude Law and Brian Haas. He is a regular visitor to the MENA region, where he searches for talent and funding opportunities.
“We love seeing new films locally and capturing new voices and new trends. It's an exciting part of the world. There's a lot of optimism and ambition here. The audience is young, and whether it's in the Red Sea, Abu Dhabi, Qatar or here in Marrakesh, there's always a liveliness.”
Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci
Friday night's red carpet also included a jury, headed by Luca Guadagnino and including Patricia Arquette, Virginie Efira, Elordi and Andrew Garfield, in addition to Monica Bellucci, who will attend with Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirsand Tim Burton and David Cronenberg, who is being celebrated alongside Sean Penn this year.
Burton, who will take part in a speaking event on Saturday, said he was catching his breath after a busy few months. Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceand filming the second season of Wednesday.
The star-studded lineup — which will also include Alfonso Cuarón, Ava DuVernay and others later in the festival — is the work of longtime festival director Melita Toscan du Plantier, who takes pride in the fact that the event pays no money. Her A-list guests are in attendance.
The well-connected producer revealed that she was able to secure Elordi for the judging panel after visiting the set The narrow road to the far north In Australia, he then asks Kurzel to take control.
She said: “The stars are with us after the difficult year of last year,” noting that the latest edition came against the backdrop of a strike by Hollywood actors in addition to a devastating earthquake in the nearby Atlas Mountains just two months ago. previously.
“People become friends with the festival. It is a real festival, no one pays money here. People come because of the quality of the festival and the films and also because it is a real audience,” she said.
Beyond the glitz and glamor, the festival has also built its reputation on its strong program mixing auteur fare, led by a major competition focusing on first and second films, and high-profile festival successes including now-award-season titles such as Walter Sallis I'm still here and Muhammad Rasoulof Holy fig seedBoth directors are scheduled to attend.
At the opening ceremony, Guadagnino spoke fondly of his long love for Marrakesh and the festival, as well as his family ties with Morocco.
The director whose most recent films gay which has just been released in the US, recalls how he instantly fell in love with Marrakesh on his first visit some 20 years ago.
“I arrived on a direct flight from Rome in the middle of the night… Marrakesh completely carried me away and I instantly reconnected with my deep roots. My Algerian mother grew up in Casablanca… I am half Moroccan.”
The festival hits its stride on Saturday with featured talks Anatomy of Vall Director Justin Treat and Burton. An event honoring Sean Penn, featuring a screening of Gus Van Sant Milk; Competition titles The village next to the paradise and One of those days when Hime died And a special screening for the Cannes Film Festival 2024 Everything we imagine is like light.
