The Marrakech International Film Festival 2015.
The star studded 15th International Film Festival of Marrakech took place between the 4-12 December. Francis Ford Coppola the legendary producer of Apocoplypse Now and The Godfather amongst many other classic films was Chairman of the Prize comittee for the Golden Star award and his epic film Godfather 2 by Mario Puzo and staring Robert De Niro was screened on the Jama El Fna Square to a huge audience.
The homage to the American star Bill Murray also saw the star acclaimed on the great square and in the Palais De Congres. The film Ghostbusters in which Bill Murray played the role of Dr Peter Venkman in 1984 was screened at the Convention Center. The Barry Levinson film Rock the Kasbah which starred Bill Murrray and Bill Willis was partly shot in Marrakech in 2014 and was screened at the Colisee cinema in Gueliz.
Canadian Film was the national film industry honoured by the Marrakech Film festival. A group of 23 Canadian producers including Brandon Cronenberg, Michel Poulette and Stephen Dunn were on stage for the tribute presented in the Palais de Congres.
The US film Carol by Todd Haynes starring Cate Blanchett,Rooney Maara and Kyle Chandler was aso a contender for the Golden Star award.
The organisers decided that they would showcase films by young directors who have completed their first or second work for the Golden Star competition. Competitors included the “Keeper” a film by Guillaume Senez, “Cop Car” by Jon Watts, “Closet Monster” by Stefen Dunn and “Babai” by Visar Morina.
The fifteen competitors were from all over the world, from India to Brazil, through Iran, Turkey, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Japan, Iceland, Belgium, South Korea, Canada, the United States and Morocco with “The Infidel”, by Jawad Rhalib, a Belgian-Moroccan co-production.
Moroccan films included Green March which tells the story of the march liberating the Moroccan Sahara and the Moroccan Belgian collaboration produced Rebellious Girl by Jawad Rhalib and La Isla, a Spanish Moroccan political comedy about the confrontation over the tiny Island off the coast of Morocco in 2002.
The film festival featured a great selection of classics as well as new films . It was a truly international event and a triumphal success for the Morrocan authorities who pulled off an amazing event.
The Marrakech Film Festival has achieved international recognition featuring tributes to different national film industries.Held under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI with the participation of Prince Moulay Rachid his brother who heads ther festival team the International Film Festival of Marrakech was founded in 2001 and continues to attract major film producers like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Copola and actors including Jeremy Irons, Adel Imam, Viggo Mortensen, Khadija Alami and Zakaria Alaoui.The Film Festival also has an important role in recognizing and promoting Moroccan films and actors. The film school ESAV based in Marrakech also plays an important role in this respect.
