Bosnian Film Obtains 'Etoile d'Or' Award in Marrakesh Film Festival
Morocco-Regional, Local, 10/10/2003

Bosnian film "Fuse" of Pjer Zalica received the "Etoile d'Or" award of the best movie in Marrakesh festival which downed curtains on Wednesday.

The French movie "Hymne a la gazelle" was awarded the best short film prize in the six-day festival which was followed by an audience of over 100,000 viewers and screened 73 films while the jury award went to Tom Mc Carthy's "The Station Agent" (United States), Bogdan Diklic won the best actor prize of for his role in the Bosnian movie while Najat Benssallem was extended the best actress award for her role in French-Moroccan film "Raja."

The prize of the best director went to Japanese Takeschi Kitano while Moroccan Narjiss Nejjar got the prize of the best screenplay.

The festival's Chairwoman, French actress Nathalie Baye, said the festival has managed in a three years lifetime to take an international dimension and to become an important rendezvous of the cinema competing with its most prestigious peers of Cannes and Venice.

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 provided a priceless opportunity to lay bridges between two worlds. For the Marrakesh populations and visitors, the festival, defending itself against claims of being exclusively destined for the elite, aired the premieres for the public in the sumptuous Badii palace while the world-reputed Jamaa El-Fna square was also turned into a huge open-air theater. Besides the joy of watching the best and more varied movies, participants were 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."

It was a also a priceless chance for Moroccan movie-makers and cinema professionals to meet their most outstanding colleagues from the world. Tributes were 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 has started shooting his latest movie in Morocco was extended a life achievement award.

Morocco ambitions to become a major shooting location for international movies, especially in the region of Ouarzazate," an organizer said.

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