The 18th Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) has been slated for November 29-December 7, 2019. In 2018 over 100,000 people attended this annual screening extravaganza held in Morocco’s most popular touristic destination. The Marrakech International Film Festival showcases international pictures and places special attention to African films. Korsa directed by Abdellah Toukouna and Lahnech by Driss Mrini was chosen to represent Morocco in 2018.
Last year was a particularly exciting year for FIFM. The festival welcomed big names such as Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Agnès Varda, Robin Wright, Guillermo Del Toro, Thierry Frémaux, Christian Mungiu, Yousry Nasrallah, and Jilali Ferhati. Included in the outstanding jury was Silver Lion Award-Winning Director James Gray, New Arab Cinema Best Film Nominee and Moroccan Director/Photographer Tala Hadid, and Fifty Shades of Grey American Actress Dakota Johnson.
The non-profit FIFM festival was established in 2001 by Prince Moulay Rachid. He serves as the committee’s president. The event’s main objective is to facilitate intercultural dialogue and bring together different communities.
The Marrakech Film festival was created in 2001 under the patronage of King Mohammed VI. Since the beginning, the event has aimed to showcase talented filmmakers and serve as an intercultural bridge between nations. Marrakech was chosen to host the annual festival because of its history. The city is historically linked to the Almoravids. Marrakech was also voted Africa’s Cultural Capital 2020 and is booming with tourism and celebrities. In Spring 2019, Christian Dior launched his Cruise Collection 2020 at the Marrakech Bahia Palace. A-listers like Jessica Alba, Lupita Nyong’o, Karlie Kloss, and Shailene Woodley were in attendance.