Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire has been unveiled as the opening film of the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival, with Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36 closing the Moroccan event.
They will be among 82 films from 31 countries showcased at the festival – running from November 28 to December 6 – across the Official Competition, Gala Screenings, Horizons section, the 11th Continent, Moroccan Panorama, Young Audiences and Families sidebars. (scroll down for full selection)
The Official Competition will feature 14 first and second feature films compete for the Étoile d’or, with the jury this year headed by filmmaker Bong Joon-ho.
Highlights of the competition include the world premiere of Meryem Benm’Barek’s psychological thriller Behind the Palm Trees, exploring the class relations and social domination inherited from the colonial pas,t and the international premiere of Australian photographer James J. Robinson First Light, a visually striking moral drama in which a Filipino nun questions her faith in the face of corruption.
Further contenders include Shih-Han Tsao’s Before the Bright Day; Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow and Zamo Mkhwanazi’s Laundry.
The selection features 14 entries to the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards including My Father’s Shadow (UK), Palestine 36 (Palestine) The President’s Cake (Iraq), The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire will screen in the Gala section alongside Maryam Touzani’sCalle Málaga, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life.
The full 2025 Selection
Competition
AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY Morad Mostafa (Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sudan) – MENA Premiere
AMOEBA | Siyou Tan (Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea) – MENA Premiere
BEFORE THE BRIGHT DAY (NAN FANG SHI GUANG) | Shih-Han Tsao (Taiwan) – MENA Premiere
BEHIND THE PALM TREES (DERRIÈRE LES PALMIERS) | Meryem Benm’barek (France, Morocco, Belgium, United Kingdom) – World Premiere
BROKEN VOICES | Ondřej Provazník (Czech Republic, Slovakia) – MENA Premiere
FIRST LIGHT | James J. Robinson (Philippines, Australia) – International Premiere
FORASTERA | Lucía Aleñar Iglesias (Spain, Sweden, Italy) – MENA Premiere
ISH | Imran Perretta (United Kingdom) – MENA Premiere
LAUNDRY| Zamo Mkhwanazi (Switzerland, South Africa) – MENA Premiere
MEMORY | Vladlena Sandu (France, Netherlands, Doc) – MENA Premiere
MY FATHER AND QADDAFI | Jihan K (United States, Libya – Doc) – MENA Premiere
MY FATHER’S SHADOW | Akinola Davies Jr. (United Kingdom, Nigeria) – MENA Premiere
PROMISED SKY (PROMIS LE CIEL) | Erige Sehiri (France, Tunisia, Qatar) – MENA Premiere
14. STRAIGHT CIRCLE | Oscar Hudson (United Kingdom) – MENA Premiere
Gala Screenings
DEAD MAN’S WIRE | Gus Van Sant (United States) – MENA Premiere – opening film
A PRIVATE LIFE (VIE PRIVÉE) | Rebecca Zlotowski (France) – MENA Premiere
CALLE MÁLAGA | Maryam Touzani (Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium) – Moroccan Premiere
FRANKENSTEIN | Guillermo del Toro (United States) – Moroccan Premiere
HAMNET | Chloé Zhao (UK)- MENA Premiere
HOMEBOUND | Neeraj Ghaywan (India) – Moroccan Premiere
EL SETT / LA DAME | Marwan Hamed (Egypt) – World Premiere
SOPHIA | Dhafer L’Abidine (Tunisia, United Kingdom) – World Premiere
PALESTINE 36 | Annemarie Jacir (Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan) – North African Premiere
Horizons
A PLACE FOR HER (LA MAISON DES FEMMES) | Mélisa Godet (France) – MENA Premiere
A POET | Simón Mesa Soto (Colombia, Germany, Sweden) – Moroccan Premiere
A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD | Cyril Aris (Lebanon, United-States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, 109 minutes) – North African Premiere
ALL THAT IS LEFT OF YOU| Cherien Dabis (Germany, Cyprus) – North African Premiere
AT WORK (À PIED D’OEUVRE) | Valérie Donzelli (France) – MENA Premiere
DIVINE COMEDY | Ali Asgari (Iran, Turkey, Italy, France, Germany) – North African
FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER | Jim Jarmusch (United States, Ireland, France) Moroccan Premiere
FATNA, A WOMAN NAMED RACHID (FATNA, UNE FEMME NOMMÉE RACHID) | Hélène Harder (Morocco, France, Belgium, Doc) – World Premiere
THE FENCE (LE CRI DES GARDES) | Claire Denis (France) – MENA Premiere
IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT) | Jafar Panahi (Iran, France, Luxembourg) – Moroccan Premiere
THE MASTERMIND| Kelly Reichardt (United States) – MENA Premiere
MOTHER | Teona Strugar Mitevska (Belgium, North Macedonia, Sweden, Denmark, Bosnia & Herzegovine) – MENA Premiere
NO OTHER CHOICE | Park Chan-wook (South Korea) – MENA Premiere
NOUVELLE VAGUE | Richard Linklater (France) – MENA Premiere
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA | Arab Nasser & Tarzan Nasser (France, Palestine, Germany, Portugal, Qatar, Jordan) – Moroccan Premiere
ORWELL: 2+2=5 | Raoul Peck (United States, France, 119 minutes, Doc) – Moroccan Premiere
THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (LE GÂTEAU DU PRÉSIDENT / MAMLAKET AL-QASAB) | Hasan Hadi (Iraq, United States, Qata) – Nord African Premiere
SILENT FRIEND | Ildikó Enyedi (Germany, Hungary, France) – Moroccan Premiere
THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB | Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France) – Moroccan Premiere
11e Continent
ALL MY SISTERS | Massoud Bakhshi (Austria, France, Germany, Doc) – MENA Premiere
ANCESTRAL VISIONS OF THE FUTURE | Lemohang Mosese (France, Lesotho, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Doc) – MENA Premiere
AND THE FISH FLY ABOVE OUR HEADS) | Dima El-Hor (France, Lebanon, Saoudi Arabia, 69 minutes, Doc) – MENA Premiere
DO YOU LOVE ME | Lana Daher (France, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar, Doc) – Moroccan Premiere
I WANT HER DEAD (A TRUE STORY ABOUT ALMOST MURDERING MY FAMILY) ( IL QUIETO VIVERE) | Gianluca Matarrese (Italy, Switzerland, 83 minutes, Doc) – MENA
LANDMARKS (NUESTRA TIERRA) | Lucrecia Martel (Argentina, United States, Mexico, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Doc) – MENA Premiere
LIFE AFTER SIHAM (LA VIE APRÈS SIHAM) | Namir Abdel Messeeh (Egypt, France, Doc) – Moroccan Premiere
THE LOVE THAT REMAINS | Hlynur Pálmason (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France) – MENA Premiere
MEMORY OF PRINCESS MUMBI | Damien Hauser (Switzerland, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Mockumentary) – MENA Premiere
THE MIRAGE (MIRAGE) | Ahmed Bouanani (Morocco, 1980, Restored version) – World Premiere of the restored version
THE MUMMY – THE NIGHT OF COUNTING THE YEARS / AL MOMIA | Shadi Abdel Salam (Egypt, 1969, Restored version) Moroccan Premiere
MY ARMENIAN PHANTOMS (MES FANTÔMES ARMÉNIENS) | Tamara Stepanyan (France, Armenia, Qatar, Documentary) North African Premiere
SAÏD EFFENDI (SAEED EFFENDI) | Kameran Hosni (Iran, 1956, Restored version) Moroccan Premiere
SIRÂT | Oliver Laxe (Spain, France) – Moroccan Premiere Talents: Oliver Laxe, director
WITH HASAN IN GAZA | Kamal Aljafari (Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar, Doc) – North African Premiere
Moroccan Panorama
THE ANTS / LES FOURMIS | Yassine Fennan (Morocco) – MENA Premiere
AUTISTO | Jérôme Cohen-Olivar (Morocco)
FIVE EYES | Karim Debbagh (Morocco, France, Doc) – World Premiere
MIRA | Nour-Eddine Lakhmari (Morocco, Saudi Arabia) – MENA Premiere
PORTE BAGAGE
by Abdelkarim El-Fassi
Netherlands
THOSE WHO WATCH OVER (CEUX QUI VEILLENT)
by Karima Saïdi
Belgium – Documentary
Cinema For Young Audiences & Families
ARCO
by Ugo Bienvenu
France, United States
THE BARONESSES (LES BARONNES)
by Nabil Ben Yadir & Mokhtaria Badaoui
Belgium, Luxembourg, France
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
by Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
United States
THE SONGBIRDS’ SECRET (LE SECRET DES MÉSANGES)
by Antoine Lanciaux
France, Belgium
TUMMY TOM AND THE LOST TEDDY BEAR
by Joost van den Bosch & Erik Verkerk
Netherlands, Belgium
