{"id":12730,"date":"2023-11-25T03:18:41","date_gmt":"2023-11-24T21:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/marrakech-kicks-off-film-festival-in-the-shadow-of-war-in-the-middle-east\/"},"modified":"2023-11-25T03:18:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T21:48:41","slug":"marrakech-kicks-off-film-festival-in-the-shadow-of-war-in-the-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/marrakech-kicks-off-film-festival-in-the-shadow-of-war-in-the-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Marrakech kicks off film festival in the shadow of war in the Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) \u2014 Film industry leaders in Marrakech attending one of the Arab world’s largest film festivals emphasized Friday the importance of elevating cinema and artistic expression amid a shadow cast by Israel\u2019s war with Hamas and an earthquake that struck Morocco less than three months ago.<\/p>\n

“In the weeks leading up to the festival, we were not sure that we would even be able to be here. The world we share is shattered and devoured,” said American actor Jessica Chastain, serving as the president of the festival’s jury, in a speech on the festival’s opening night.<\/p>\n

MOROCCO REBUILDS FOLLOWING DEADLY EARTHQUAKE, REMAINS POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Throughout history, art has been used as an accessible tool for communication, raising awareness about social issues and affecting positive change,” she added.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by red carpet crowds and flashing camera lights, others agreed.<\/p>\n

“We know what\u2019s happening and don\u2019t forget it,” said Melita Toscan Du Plantier, director of the Marrakech International Film Festival. “But heart is important. Heart is a weapon against obscurity and against conflict. We\u2019re here to talk about heart, show movies and talk about directors from this region.”<\/p>\n

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\"Marrakech<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
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In a region at war, the Marrakech Film Festival offers a haven of peace, according to Moroccan prince.<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Organizers said they looked forward to showcasing cinema from Morocco, the Middle East and Africa. Throughout the week, they plan to honor Moroccan director Faouzi Bensaidi, and workshop films from throughout the region in a developmental program presided over by director Martin Scorsese.<\/p>\n

The festival opened Friday with Richard Linklater\u2019s action-comedy “Hit Man.” Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen was honored with a career achievement award for his films including “Another Round,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Casino Royale,” in which he played a Bond villain.<\/p>\n

The festival is expected to feature more than 70 additional films, including Michel Franco\u2019s “Memory,” starring Chastain, and Matteo Garrone\u2019s Italian immigration drama “Io Capitano.”<\/p>\n

It’s one of Morocco’s most widely publicized international events and comes in the aftermath of an earthquake that wreaked particular havoc on the mountain communities surrounding Marrakech. Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid, who leads the foundation responsible for the festival, called it a “bastion of peace that brings people closer together.”<\/p>\n

The prince said in a statement that the festival was an “invitation for discovery, empathy and sharing.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Marrakech International Film Festival, along with Saudi Arabia\u2019s Red Sea Film Festival that is scheduled to open next week, are taking place as protests sweep North Africa and the Middle East, including Morocco, over the war in Gaza. That\u2019s in contrast to the Cairo International Film Festival and Tunisia\u2019s Carthage Film Festival, both of which were canceled due to the war.<\/p>\n

The festival is scheduled to run through Dec. 2.<\/p>\n

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[ad_1] MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) \u2014 Film industry leaders in Marrakech attending one of the Arab world’s largest film festivals emphasized Friday the importance of elevating cinema and artistic expression amid a shadow cast by Israel\u2019s war with Hamas and an earthquake that struck Morocco less than three months ago. “In the weeks leading up to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}