Walter Salles to Take Part in Conversations Program at Upcoming Marrakech International Film Festival

Walter Salles will be opening up at this year’s Marrakech International Film Festival.

The 68-year-old Brazilian filmmaker, best known for his Golden Bear-winning film Central Station, is among the A-listers taking part in the conversations program for the festival’s upcoming 21st edition.

Walter Salles,In all, 18 leading directors, actors, scriptwriters and producers will participate.

Salles is in the middle of a buzzy Oscar campaign for his Best International Feature Film contender I’m Still Here.

Other participating Hollywood A-listers include U.S. director and screenwriter Ava Du Vernay, French Oscar winner Justine Triet and U.S director Tim Burton.

Speakers also include Mohammed Rasoulof, who has Oscar buzz for The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, as well as Canadian director and screenwriter David Cronenberg and U.S. actor-director Sean Penn, who are being feted by the festival with career awards this year.

Moroccan filmmakers Alaa Eddine Aljem, Yasmine Benkiran, Ismaël El Iraki and Kamal Lazraq will be in conversation about their first films.

The Marrakech International Film Festival runs from November 29 to December 7.

Oscar Isaac to Serve on Marrakech International Film Festival Jury

Oscar Isaac is reporting for jury duty…

The 43-year-old Cuban-Guatemalan actor will form part of the main jury for the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which runs from November 11-19 in the Moroccan city.

Oscar IsaacIsaac will join Paolo Sorrentino, who was named jury president last month, Danish writer/director Susanne Bier, British actor Vanessa Kirby, German actor Diane Kruger, Australian director Justin Kurzel, Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki, Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi and French actor Tahar Rahim.

The international jury will award the Étoile d’Or to one of the 14 first and second feature films in the competition, which is dedicated to the discovery of filmmakers from around the world.

This will be a particularly significant edition for Marrakech as it marks the event’s first in-person iteration since 2019 after the pandemic led to its cancellation in 2020 and also dashed hopes of a revival in 2021. The participation of such notable jurors signals a potential return to the high-profile of years past.

Marrakech was once a swank and multi-cultural affair that often drew Hollywood A-listers. It then experienced some growing pains, sitting out 2017 due to a reported lack of sponsorship and returning in 2018 under the stewardship of Christoph Terhechte as Artistic Director, who stepped down after two editions. Cannes Critics’ Week veteran Rémi Bonhomme was appointed Artistic Director in early 2020 and this year marks his first physical edition after working to keep the spirit of the event alive throughout this time with virtual iterations of its industry-focused Atlas Workshops project market.