Marrakech – The 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival has opened with Oscar-winning “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho presiding over a competition jury that includes Jenna Ortega, Anya Taylor-Joy, Celine Song, Julia Ducournau, Karim Aïnouz, Payman Maadi, and Hakim Belabbes. The festival runs through December 6, bringing 81 films from 31 countries to venues across Morocco’s cultural capital.
Bong and his jury will award the Étoile d’Or to one of thirteen first and second features in the Official Competition. The lineup features nine world or international premieres and fourteen films representing their countries in the Academy Awards race.
READ MORE: Fall Film 2025 Preview: 61 Movies To Watch
Bong drew a standing ovation at the opening ceremony on Friday, drawing a parallel with his own experiences at age 22. “I was greedily devouring movies as a student of cinema,” he said. “Looking back, my 22-year-old self was brimming with energy and passion for cinema. I feel that Marrakech is also buzzing with a special energy as it enters its 22nd year.”
At Saturday morning’s 10 am press conference, the jury brought together diverse sensibilities, from Ortega’s Gen Z magnetism riding high on Netflix series “Wednesday’s” success to Ducournau’s transgressive French cinema that won the Palme d’Or for “Titane.” Taylor-Joy’s trajectory from “The Witch” to “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” has established her as one of cinema’s most compelling presences, while Song’s debut “Past Lives” earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Original Screenplay.
After reeling off some of the films that most inspired them, the jury turned their attention to AI at the conference.
Said Ortega: “In these difficult and confusing times, oftentimes it pushes the artist to speak out more, to do more, for there to be this new awakening and passion and protection, and I want to assume and hope that that’s the case. However, there are certain things that AI is unable to replicate. There’s beauty in difficulty, and there’s beauty in mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul.”
Festival president Mélita Toscan du Plantier emphasized the significance of securing high-profile talent, a talent she has demonstrated, all without payment, for emerging directors on the red carpet on Friday. “It’s incredible for these directors to know that their first films are going to be watched by Bong Joon-ho, by all of these actors and directors,” she said.
Jodie Foster received a tribute on Saturday night, accepting the award from Bong Joon Ho, after a reel showcasing her most iconic roles from “The Silence of the Lambs” to “Panic Room.”
Reflecting on her six decades in cinema, Foster said: “Watching all these clips, I thought to myself: I’ve been doing this job for quite a while now. I started in the 1960s, and then I was lucky enough to experience the golden age of cinema in the 1970s. Then came the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and now we’re back in the 1970s again. It’s been a very long time indeed. And yet, it’s gone by in the blink of an eye.”
The two-time Oscar winner was surprised by a video message from her “Taxi Driver” director, Martin Scorsese, who told her, “You’re such an important part of my work and my career. There’s a joy in your work that you’ve created since before you could walk, actually. I’ll never forget the memory of you walking into my office at 8 or 9 years old and having more pull than anyone else in the studio at the time.”
The Official Competition showcases emerging voices that explore teenage friendship under political pressure, women reinventing their destinies against systemic pressure, and filmmakers revisiting pivotal political moments. Meryem Benm’Barek’s “Behind the Palm Trees,” a world premiere, examines class relations and colonial legacy. Australian photographer James J. Robinson’s “First Light” follows a Filipino nun questioning her faith, while Akinola Davies Jr.‘s “My Father’s Shadow” traces a family during Nigeria’s 1993 electoral crisis.
Artistic Director Rémi Bonhomme has assembled a program he describes as politically aware. “This year’s selection reflects a trend I’ve seen a lot over the past two, three years in that young filmmakers for their first films are developing work that is very politically aware,” Bonhomme explained. “They explore injustice and the histories of their countries. They don’t confront these questions directly, but rather in a very subtle way, with stories that are at the intersection of personal memories and collective history.”
Two debuts explore teenage friendship facing political awakening: Siyou Tan’s “Amoeba” in Singapore and Imran Perretta’s “Ish” in suburban London. Three films portray women demonstrating resistance: Erige Sehiri’s “Promised Sky,” Ondřej Provazník’s “Broken Voices,” and Morad Mostafa’s “Aisha Can’t Fly Away.” Vladlena Sandu’s “Memory” revisits childhood in Chechnya, while Jihan K’s “My Father and Qaddafi” explores family in Libya.
The Gala Screenings demonstrate the festival’s reach into major international cinema. Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” opened the festival with dark comedy, delivering sharp satire on media and capitalism. Guillermo del Toro unveils his gothic “Frankenstein” starring Jacob Elordi and Christoph Waltz, and Jodie Foster is in Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life.”
Two world premieres brought together the biggest stars of Egyptian and Tunisian cinema. “El Sett,” directed by Marwan Hamed and starring Mona Zaki, tells the story of Oum Kalthoum, while “Sophia,” directed by and starring Dhafer L’Abidine, explores darker territory. Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” explores how a child’s loss inspires “Hamlet,” while Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Homebound” features rising Bollywood stars. Maryam Touzani presents “Calle Málaga” starring Carmen Maura. Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36” closes the festival.
The Horizons section presents nineteen films from major filmmakers, including Claire Denis with “The Fence,” Richard Linklater with “Nouvelle Vague,” Jafar Panahi with “It Was Just an Accident,” Park Chan-wook with “No Other Choice,” and Kelly Reichardt with “The Mastermind.” Arab cinema shines with films from major festivals. Cherien Dabis’ “All That Is Left Of You” won acclaim at Sundance. Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake” and Arab & Tarzan Nasser’s “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” won awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
The 11th Continent program explores cinema without borders with work by Massoud Bakhshi, Oliver Laxe with “Sirât,” Lucrecia Martel with “Landmarks,” and Hlynur Pálmason with “The Love That Remains.” Three restored Arab cinema classics anchor the program, including Ahmed Bouanani’s “The Mirage” from 1980, receiving its world premiere in a restored version.
The Moroccan Panorama delivers seven films, with two premieres: Karim Debbagh’s “Five Eyes” and Abdelkarim El-Fassi’s “Porte Bagage.” Moroccan cinema is represented in fifteen films across various festival sections.
The Conversations program assembled influential figures, including Andrew Dominik, Laurence Fishburne, and Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Lebanese director Nadine Labaki participates alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, whose “The Secret Agent” won Best Director at Cannes 2025. Indian filmmaker Karan Johar and French actor Tahar Rahim join discussions, as does Egyptian icon Yousra and Iranian director Panahi, who won the Palme d’Or for “It Was Just an Accident” despite Iran’s twenty-year ban on his filmmaking.
Behind the curatorial vision lies the Atlas Workshops, supporting nine films in this year’s selection. The platform includes Atlas Distribution Meetings, which bring together sixty professionals from the Arab world, Africa, and Europe in Marrakech. Twenty-eight projects highlight stories exploring family ties, tradition and modernity, identity, and resilience.
Events unfold across venues, including the legendary Mamounia hotel. The festival pays tribute to Foster, del Toro, Moroccan actress Raouya, and Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmi. The tribute to Fahmi closed the opening ceremony, receiving a massive round of applause from the audience in Marrakech.
The jury will announce the Étoile d’Or winner on December 6.
