The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival will take place from November 20 to 28, bringing 76 films from 39 countries to the Palais des Congrès, the Le Colisée cinema and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum. Ten films will compete for the Étoile d’or in world premiere, while 12 were supported by the Atlas Workshops and 11 represent their countries in the race for the Oscars.

The jury, chaired by Marion Cotillard, will select from 14 first and second features competing for the festival’s top prize. The lineup includes Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’imana,” about reconciliation after the Tutsi genocide; Rafiki Fariala’s “Congo Boy”; Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu’s “La Maison du vent”; and Rami Kodeih’s “Furies,” set against the backdrop of Lebanon’s crisis. Films by women directors from Mexico, South Korea and Haiti will explore the intimate lives of female characters.

The festival will open with “Mona,” a comedy directed by Jesse Eisenberg and starring Julianne Moore. The Gala program will include two world premieres: Fellipe Barbosa’s “Leila e la notte,” inspired by the life of Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui, and Omar Hilal’s “His Weakest Creatures,” featuring Ahmed Helmy and Hend Sabry.

John Turturro will present “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” while James Gray will attend with “Paper Tiger.” Luca Guadagnino will present “Artificial,” a film about OpenAI founder Sam Altman, played by Andrew Garfield.

The Horizons section will bring together 21 films recognized at international festivals, including works by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Pawel Pawlikowski and Hirokazu Kore-eda. Italy will be represented by Nanni Moretti’s “Succederà questa notte,” starring Jasmine Trinca. The program will also feature Ginevra Elkann’s “Les Roses de Marrakech,” with Fanny Ardant, a film presented at the Rome Film Festival and made in the city where its story was born and filmed.

The “11th Continent” section includes 13 films, among them restored classics such as Farouk Beloufa’s “Nahla.” The “Panorama of Moroccan Cinema” will present six films and documentaries, opening with Tala Hadid’s “Bardi” and including three world premieres, among them Mohammed Mouftakir’s “Cagoules,” for a total of 11 screenings.

Sources: ANSA Cultura.