The international film festival of Marrakech ended Saturday after nine days during which 76 feature movies were screened in the Official Competition, Gala Sessions, Special Sessions, The 11th Continent, Panorama of Moroccan Cinema, Young Audience and Open Air Screenings at Jamaa El Fna.
The Jury of the official competition of this edition, chaired by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino and formed by the British actress Vanessa Kirby, the German actress Diane Kruger, the Australian director Justin Kurzel, the Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki, the Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi and the French actor Tahar Rahim, awarded the “Golden Star” or Grand Prize, to “A Tale of Shemroon” by Iranian director Emad Aleebrahim Dehkordi.
The 102-minute feature film tells the story of Iman and his younger brother Payar whose life will turn upside down after the death of their mother.
The Festival’s Jury Prize went ex-aequo to “Alma Viva” by Cristèle Alves Meira (Portugal) and “Le Bleu du Caftan” by Maryam Touzani (Morocco).
“Le Bleu du Caftan’ is above all a film about love. It’s a film about love with all its facets, it’s a film about love in the broadest and purest meaning of the word, love between human beings, love of a job, that of a Maalem (a master), says Maryam Touzani.
Co-produced by her husband, Nabil Ayoub, Bleu du Caftan tells the story of Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Mina (Lubna Azabal), a couple who runs a traditional caftan shop in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas.
In order to meet customer demands, they hire Youssef (Ayoub Missioui), a talented apprentice who devotes himself entirely to learning embroidery and tailoring from Halim. Gradually, Mina realizes how much her husband is moved by the presence of the young man. Very moving, the film made the public cry during its screening in Marrakech.
Le Bleu du Caftan was presented for the first time in “Un Certain Regard” of the Cannes Film Festival and won the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI).
The jury awarded the Best Director’s Award to the Swiss director Carmen Jacquier, for her film “Thunder”.
The Best Actress Award was won by Choi Seung Yoon for her role in “Riceboy Sleeps” by Anthony Shim (Canada), while the Best Actor Award was granted to Arswendy Bening Swara for her role in “Autobiography” by Makbul Mubarak (Indonesia).
Overall, the jury had to make its choice in the official competition in a selection of 14 films, representing 14 countries from 5 continents (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Mexico, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey).
The closing ceremony was also marked by a vibrant tribute to a great figure of the 7th art, the Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. Her emotion was the greater as the organizers invited secretly her daughter, Honor Byrne, to hand her the Golden Star.
In addition to Swinton, the Marrakech International Film Festival paid tribute to the Indian actor Ranveer Singh, the American filmmaker James Gray and the Moroccan director Farida Benlyazid who were also awarded the Golden Star.