Tilda Swinton, Ranveer Singh, James Gray, Farida Benlyazid to be Honored at Marrakech Film Festival

Naman Ramachandran
·3 min read
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The Marrakech Film Festival will honor a quartet of renowned film personalities at its 2022 edition.

Honorees who will receive the festival’s Étoile d’or (Golden Star) include Scottish actor Tilda Swinton (“The Eternal Daughter”), U.S. filmmaker James Gray (“Armageddon Time”), Moroccan film pioneer and director Farida Benlyazid (“The Wretched Life of Juanita Narboni”) and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh (“’83”).

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The festival has also revealed a raft of well-known names who will participate in In Conversation events. They include British actor Jeremy Irons (“House of Gucci”), French actor and director Julie Delpy (“My Zoe”), Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi (“A Hero”), French filmmaker Julia Ducournau (“Titane”), U.S. filmmaker Jim Jarmusch (“The Dead Don’t Die”), French actor Marina Foïs (“The Sitting Duck”), Swedish director Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”), French filmmaker Léos Carax (“Annette”) and Franco-Lebanese composer Gabriel Yared (“Scarlet”).

Singh said: “The notion that my craft has resonated in Africa is hugely gratifying. It is indicative of the fact that that my work has been able to transcend geographical and cultural borders. For a humble artiste, who wishes to bring people together through entertainment, this is greatly rewarding. I cannot wait to be in Marrakech to soak in the love of the people and express my gratitude to them.”

Swinton said: “To be honored by the Marrakech film festival for which I have such admiration and affection is truly touching. To return to celebrate with my friends this exceptional forum for world cinema and the perpetual global fellowship of film love with the beautiful audience there will be a pure joy for which I am deeply grateful.”

Gray, whose “Armageddon Time” will be presented at the festival, said: “The film is a deeply personal one and not only reflects certain aspects of my youth but also looks ahead and portrays the enduring issues and inequities facing the world today. Thank you for recognising these themes, most of them present in all my films, and for honoring me in this way.”

Benlyazid added: “I thank His Majesty King Mohammed VI for creating this beautiful festival that brings together members of the Moroccan film family with those from around the world. I thank His Royal Highness Moulay Rachid – it is a great honour to receive this tribute, after having been a member of the jury for the first edition of the festival. And I thank all the organisers of the festival for inviting me every year. I particularly like this festival, which promotes the first and second works of filmmakers. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of seeing wonderful films, and the selection has always been excellent. It is with great emotion that I look forward to seeing you there.”

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 editions of the festival were canceled. It is making a big comeback this year with a star-studded jury, including Oscar Isaac (“Scenes from a Marriage”), Vanessa Kirby (“The Son”), French actor Tahar Rahim (“The Serpent”), Australian director Justin Kurzel (“Nitram”), Danish director Susanne Bier (“The Undoing”), Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki (“Caparnum”), German actor Diane Kruger (“Inglorious Basterds”) and Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi (“Marock”), with Paolo Sorrentino, the Oscar-winning director of “The Great Beauty” and “The Hand of God,” presiding over it.

The 19th edition of the festival will take place Nov. 11-19.

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