Paris Match weekly: Marrakesh movie festival, a symbol of freedom, tolerance and peace
Morocco-Regional, Culture, 10/4/2001

Born from the will of King Mohammed VI, the first international cinema festival of Marrakesh (held this Sep.28-Oct.2), emerged in these troubled moments as a symbol of freedom, tolerance and peace, wrote the French weekly "Paris Match" in its latest issue.

The weekly, which run a four-page report on the event with pictures of King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Rachid and the princesses Lalla Meryem, Lalla Hasna and Lalla Asma, stressed that everybody was aware that the festival did not have only artistic effects but also cultural and political ones.

The young sovereign, who is willing to open the kingdom onto the rest of the world, is convinced that cinema is the most sought popular art in this era to promote inter-people exchanges and encounters, says Paris Match, which also sees in the event a means to promote the African motion picture and help the local cinema thrive while preserving its Arab and African specificity.

The weekly quotes French director Claude Lelouch as saying that cinema is an art of life and underscores the participation of a large number of French outstanding figures who were keen on showing their attachment to Morocco. For the weekly, the festival's real star was the sovereign who invited in his palace in Marrakesh over 600 guests.

Paris Match report publishes pictures of the sovereign as he was welcoming at the royal palace the personalities, directors, comedians, producers and creators who attended the festival.

Previous Stories:
  Marrakesh international movie festival opens   (9/29/2001)
  Charlotte Rampling to chair jury of Marrakesh International Cinema Festival   (9/6/2001)
  Morocco-Africa friendship caravan tours Morocco   (8/18/2001)

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