'Dead Man's Wire'

Source: Venice Film Festival

‘Dead Man’s Wire’

The 22nd edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (November 26 – December 6) will open with Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire as the official competition is unveiled today. 

Meryem Benm’Barek’s Behind The Palm Trees has its world premiere in the festival’s competition for first and second filmmakers. The romantic thriller, from the director behind Cannes award-winner Sofia, explores a love triangle between a man, his girlfriend and a French expat.

Making its international premiere is James J. Robinson’s First Light, an Australia-Philippines co-production about a Catholic nun whose faith is shaken by a tragic accident. The feature had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival where Robinson won the awards for best Australian director.

Bong Joon-ho will preside over the official competition, which sees 14 features compete for the Étoile d’Or prize. Films in the running include Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow; Erige Sehri’s Promised Sky; and Morad Mostafa’s Aisha Can’t Fly Away. 

Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 will close the festival on December 6 as a part of the Gala strand. Two films make their world premiere as Gala titles:  Marwan Hamed’s Umm Kulthum biopic El Set; and Dhafer L’Abidine’s Sophia starring Jessica Brown Findlay.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life will screen as part of the Tributes programme to del Toro and the latter’s star Jodie Foster.

Among the 19 films screening in Horizons is Jim Jarmusch’s Golden Lion winner Father Mother Sister Brother, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Ricard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague.

Official Competition 

Aisha Can’t Fly Away (Egy-Fr-Ger-Tun-S.Ar-Qat-Sud)
Dir. Morad Mostafa

Amoeba (Sing-Neth-Fr-Sp-S.Kor)
Dir. Siyou Tan

Before The Bright Day (Tai)
Dir. Shih-Han Tsao

Behind The Palm Trees (Fr-Mor-Bel-UK)
Dir. Meryem Benm’Barek

Broken Voices (Czech-Slo)
Dir. Ondřej Provazník 

First Light (Phil-Australia)
Dir. James J. Robinson

Forastrea (Sp-Swe-It)
Dir. Lucía Aleñar Iglesias

Ish (UK)
Dir. Imran Perretta

Laundry (Switz-S. Afr)
Dir. Zamo Mkhwanazi

Memory (Fr-Neth)
Dir. Vladlena Sandu

My Father and Qaddafi (US-Lib)
Dir. Jihan K

My Father’s Shadow (UK-Nigeria)
Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.

Promised Sky (Fr-Tun-Qat)
Dir. Erige Sehiri

Straight Circle (UK)
Dir. Oscar Hudson

Gala

Dead Man’s Wire (US) - Opening film
Dir. Gus Van Sant

Calle Málaga (Mor-Fr-Sp-Ger-Bel)
Dir. Maryam Touzani

Frankenstein (US)
Dir. Guillermo del Toro

Hamnet (UK-US)
Dir. Chloé Zhao

Homebound (Ind)
Dir. Neeraj Ghaywan

A Private Life (Fr)
Dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

El Sett* (Egy)
Dir. Marwan Hamed

Sophia* (Tun–UK)
Dir. Dhafer L’Abidine

Palestine 36 (Pal-UK-Fr-Den-Nor-Qat-S. Ar-Jor-
Dir. Annemarie Jacir

Horizons

All That Is Left of You (Ger-Cyp)
Dir. Cherien Dabis

At Work (Fr)
Dir. Valérie Donzelli

Divine Comedy (Ir-Tur-It-Fr-Ger)
Dir. Ali Asgari

Father Mother Sister Brother (US-Ire-Fr)
Dir. Jim Jarmusch

Fatna, A Woman Named Rachid (Mor-Fr-Bel)
Dir. Hélène Harder

The Fence (Fr)
Dir. Claire Denis

It Was Just an Accident (Iran-Fr-Lux)
Dir. Jafar Panahi

The Mastermind (US)
Dir. Kelly Reichardt

Mother (Bel-North Macedonia-Swe-Den-Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Dir. Teona Strugar Mitevska

Nouvelle Vague (Fr)
Dir. Richard Linklater

No Other Choice (South Korea)
Dir. Park Chan-wook

Once Upon a Time in Gaza (Fr-Pal-Ger-Port-Qat-Jord)
Dir. Arab Nasser, Tarzan Nasser

Orwell: 2+2=5 (US-Fr)
Dir. Raoul Peck

A Place for Her (Fr)
Dir. Mélisa Godet

A Poet (Col-Ger-Swed)
Dir. Simón Mesa Soto

The President’s Cake (Iraq-US-Qat)
Dir. Hasan Hadi

A Sad and Beautiful World (Leb-US-Ger-Saudi Arabia-Qat)
Dir. Cyril Aris

Silent Friend (Ger-Hun-Fr|)
Dir. Ildikó Enyedi

The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tun-Fr)
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

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