Global Film Elite Descend Upon Marrakech for 13th Annual Marrakech International Film Festival

Global Film Elite Descend Upon Marrakech for 13th Annual Marrakech International Film Festival

Morocco National Tourist Office Partners with Festival as it Welcomes Martin Scorsese, Patricia Clarkson and Marion Cotillard

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The global film elite will descend on Marrakech, Morocco's Red City, from November 29 to December 7 in celebration of the 13th Annual Marrakech International Film Festival. The destination has a long, robust history supporting the film industry - serving as the back drop for films from Lawrence of Arabia to The Man Who Knew Too Much to Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.

This year's festival supports films from around the world including: Morocco, United States, India and Scandinavia. Highlights include:


-- Martin Scorsese: Academy Award-winning director is this year's President
of the Feature Film Jury. The festival is a part of the long standing
relationship between Scorsese and Morocco; Scorsese shot The Last
Temptation of Christ (1988) and Kundun (1995) in the Atlas Film Studios
near Ouarzazate. During his cinema masterclass in 2007, he said: "I've
shot two films in Morocco and I have an eternal feeling of gratitude
towards this country, its people, and the royal family for having
allowed me to make these movies." The jury also includes Marion
Cotillard, Fatih Akin, Patricia Clarkson, Amat Escalante, Golshifteh
Farahani, Anurag Kashyap, Narjiss Nejjar, Park Chan-wook and Paolo
Sorrentino.

-- Sharon Stone and Juliette Binoche: The actresses will receive lifetime
achievement awards in two separate ceremonies during the festival.

-- The Opening Film, Ram-Leela: The new film from the director of DEVADA
will open the festival on November 29, starring Deepika Padukone and
Ranveer Singh.

-- A Tribute to Scandinavian Cinema: The festival is committed to
showcasing destination specific films for their quality and diversity in
highlighting the respective cultures. Nordic films in competition have
received critical acclaim most recently with the Danish movie A
Hijacking by Tobias Lindholm in 2012 with the Jury Prize and Best Actor
Award for Soren Malling. The Northern Light's tribute gala will be on
December 4, 2013.
Other partners include Morocco Cinema Center, OCP, Royal Air Maroc, Sofitel Hotels and Resorts, Es Saadi Gardens & Resort, La Mamounia, Palais de Congres and Foundation Banque Populare.

SOURCE Marrakech International Film Festival

Marrakech International Film Festival

CONTACT: Maggie Hund, HL Group On Behalf of the Morocco National Tourist Office, 646-460-8905, mhund@hlgrp.com

Web Site: http://en.festivalmarrakech.info


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