Third Marrakesh Film Festival kicks off friday
Morocco, Economics, 10/4/2003

The third international film festival of Marrakesh (FIFM) opens this Friday in the presence of the world's most illustrious stars of the motion picture.

The presence of such outstanding figures from the spectrum of the world's cinema as Nathalie Baye and Alain Delon from France, Oliver Stone and Ridley Scott (USA), Amitabh Bachahan (India), Yousra (Egypt) in Marrakesh provides a priceless opportunity to lay bridges between two worlds that do not often meet.

For the Marrakesh populations and visitors, the festival, defending itself against claims of being exclusively destined for the elite, will be airing the premieres for the public in the sumptuous Badii palace while the world-reputed Jamaa El-Fna square will also be turned into a huge open-air theater showing most of the movies featured at the festival.

Organizers say while they have tried to have as varied a program as possible, their major concern was quality and originality rather than geographic representation. This option does not spoil however the diversity of movies featured at the event and opens windows on a myriad of cultures.

Besides the joy of watching the best and more varied movies, participants are also invited to exchange ideas and debate professional themes in two conferences respectively titled: "cinema meeting its public or how to optimize one's career" and "shooting in today's Morocco." Among the 73 movies to be screened, 12 long films and 8 short ones will vie for the FIFM awards. Moroccan movie-makers and cinema professionals will also have a chance to meet their most outstanding colleagues from the world, with a Moroccan movie, "Mille Mois" (one thousand months) by young director Faouzi Bensaidi being featured at the opening ceremony.

Tributes will be paid to three comedians: Morocco's Amina Rachid, Egypt's Yousra and French Alain Delon, in addition to talented director Oliver Stone. Ridley Scott, who won several Oscars with "Gladiator" and who is starting to shoot his latest movie in Morocco will star as the guest of honor.

The Moroccan event, that competes with the excellence and reputation of its world famed peers of Cannes and Venice, aims to promote quality in the cinema of the south and tolerance. Morocco aims to become a major shooting location for international movies, especially in the region of Ouarzazate," an organizer said. A special tribute will be paid to the late French cinema critic Daniel Toscan du Plantier who helped put up the festival's first and second editions. The chairmanship of the 2003 edition was entrusted to his wife Melita.

Previous Stories:
  Le Journal Du Dimanche: Marrakesh film festival on the frontpage of french weekly's first moroccan issue   (9/30/2003)
  Marrakesh film festival eyes Cannes, Venice level   (9/17/2003)
  Emotion, creativity and rigor combine for Marrakesh film festival   (9/6/2003)
  Over 70 movies to be screened at Marrakesh film festival   (8/28/2003)
  Namur's francophone film festival: Morocco represented by Faouzi Bensaid's '1,000 months'   (8/12/2003)

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