The 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival takes place from November 29th to December 7th, 2024
The nine members of the jury for the 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, taking place from November 29th to December 7th 2024, have been announced.
Hailing from nine countries and representing five continents, the jury will award the Étoile d'Or to one of the 14 first and second features in the festival’s International Competition, which is dedicated to the discovery of filmmakers from around the world.
Italian director Luca Guadagnino has taken on the role of Jury President for the 21st edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival. Thomas Vinterberg, who had previously been appointed president of the jury, had to excuse himself for family reasons.
Cinephile and prolific, Guadagnino has earned a reputation for his eclecticism and cinematic exploration, establishing himself as one of Italy's most brilliant filmmakers. His international career has seen him work with leading actors such as Tilda Swinton and Timothée Chalamet, and more recently Zendaya and Daniel Craig. His filmography, which includes feature films, documentaries, and series, attests to his immense talent and unique cinematic language, capturing youth and desire with intensity, as seen in acclaimed films such as Call Me By Your Name and Challengers.
“I will never forget the first time I arrived in Marrakech: it must’ve been more than 20 years ago, when I was a guest of my friend Valentina Cervi, who was sitting on the jury of the short film competition. I had never been to Morocco before but my Algerian mother grew up there and moved to Casablanca at the age of five. The first time I landed in the great city of Marrakech it was because of this amazing festival and since then for me the City and Cinema are indissolubly connected. My Arab DNA is really, really engraved in the amazing powers of the festival of Marrakech and it is a tremendous honor to lead a wonderful jury for the 21st edition—I am thrilled to see all the great movies and to meet all the great filmmakers participating this year,” said Guadagnino on being named Jury President.
Guadagnino will be joined by an exceptional jury of leading figures from world cinema: Iranian director Ali Abbasi, Indian director Zoya Akhtar, American actor Patricia Arquette, Belgian actor Virginie Efira, Australian actor Jacob Elordi, British-American actor Andrew Garfield, Moroccan actor Nadia Kounda, and Argentine director Santiago Mitre.
The jury will award the 21st edition's Étoile d’Or to one of the 14 films in competition, following last year's winner, Asmae El Moudir's The Mother of All Lies, decided by a jury chaired by Jessica Chastain.
The jury will announce its awards at the Festival's Closing Ceremony on Saturday December 7th 2024.
BIOGRAPHIES
LUCA GUADAGNINO – President
Director, Screenwriter, Producer – Italy
Born in Iran, director Ali Abbasi is based in Denmark. His most recent feature-length film, The Apprentice (2024), starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova, had its premiere in the Official Competition at the Festival de Cannes. Holy Spider (2022), his third feature, was shortlisted for Denmark’s submissions to the