Marrakech International Film Festival Announces Official Selection for Its 22nd Edition

Rabat  – The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) has revealed the official selection for its 22nd edition, taking place from November 28 to December 6. 

This year’s event celebrates world cinema through an ambitious lineup of 82 films from 31 countries, presented across multiple sections: the Official Competition, Gala Screenings, Horizons, 11th Continent, Moroccan Panorama, and Young Audiences and Families.

Eight of the films will have their world or international premieres in Marrakech, while nine were developed with the support of the Atlas Workshops, the festival’s industry and talent development platform. Fourteen films are also representing their countries in the race for the Academy Awards.

A competition rooted in contemporary consciousness

The Official Competition, chaired this year by Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, brings together 14 first and second feature films by new voices in world cinema. 

The selection captures politically and socially aware storytelling, with a touch of intimate personal narratives and bold formal experimentation.

Among the competitors is the world premiere of Moroccan director Meryem Benm’Barek’s “Behind the Palm Trees,” a psychological thriller that examines class relations and postcolonial tensions. 

Other notable entries include James J. Robinson’s “First Light,” a moral drama about a Filipino nun confronting corruption, and Zamo Mkhwanazi’s “Laundry,” which follows the dreams of a young South African during apartheid.

The lineup also includes films such as Shih-Han Tsao’s “Before the Bright Day” (Taiwan) and Akinola Davies Jr.’s “My Father’s Shadow” (Nigeria/UK). 

Works like Erige Sehiri’s “Promised Sky” and Morad Mostafa’s “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” explore stories of women’s resilience, while Vladlena Sandu’s “Memory” and Jihane K’s “My Father and Qaddafi” revisit family histories shaped by conflict.

Major names headline Gala Screenings

Nine films will be presented in the Gala Screenings, showcasing some of the most anticipated international releases of the year. 

The festival opens with Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” a dark comedy that satirizes media culture and capitalism. Moroccan director Maryam Touzani presents “Calle Málaga,” a tender story about Tangier’s Spanish community, starring Carmen Maura.

Acclaimed filmmakers and stars are set to light up Marrakech’s red carpet. Guillermo del Toro unveils his gothic reimagining of “Frankenstein,” featuring Jacob Elordi and Christoph Waltz, while Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life” stars Jodie Foster. Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” offers an intimate take on family and loss, inspired by Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

Two world premieres spotlight Arab cinema: Marwan Hamed’s “El Sett”, a biopic on the legendary Oum Kalthoum starring Mona Zaki, and “Sophia” by Dhafer L’Abidine, a tense thriller in which the director also stars. The festival concludes with Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36,” a sweeping historical drama bringing together leading Arab actors.

Horizons and the 11th Continent

The Horizons section presents 19 contemporary films, offering a panoramic view of international cinema. 

The selection features both acclaimed auteurs and emerging filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Claire Denis, Kelly Reichardt, Richard Linklater, and Park Chan-wook, alongside Arab directors including Kaouther Ben Hania, Cherien Dabis, and Hasan Hadi.

Documentaries form a strong part of the section, with Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5” and Hélène Harder’s “Fatna, a Woman Named Rachid,” premiering in Marrakech, exploring the relationship between truth, identity, and resistance.

Meanwhile, the 11th Continent program showcases 15 fiction and documentary films that push the boundaries of creativity and theme. 

Works by Lucrecia Martel, Oliver Laxe, and Massoud Bakhshi explore cinema as a space of experimentation. The section also includes restored Arab classics such as Ahmed Bouanani’s “The Mirage” (1980), screened for the first time in its newly restored version.

Moroccan cinema takes a central place in this edition, with 15 titles featured across sections. 

The Moroccan Panorama presents seven fiction and documentary films, including the world premieres of “Five Eyes” by Karim Debbagh and “Porte Bagage” by Abdelkarim El-Fassi. The lineup also includes “Mira” by Nour-Eddine Lakhmari and “The Ants” by Yassine Fennane, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of contemporary Moroccan filmmaking.

Meanwhile, the Young Audiences and Families section features 13 films aimed at children and youth, encouraging curiosity and a love of cinema among younger viewers. 

The program includes animated and family-friendly films such as Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio,” “The Songbirds’ Secret” by Antoine Lanciaux, and “Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear” by Joost van den Bosch and Erik Verkerk.

Honoring cinema’s greats

This year’s edition of the festival pays tribute to four distinguished figures: Jodie Foster, Guillermo del Toro, Raouya, and Hussein Fahmi. Screenings of their films will take place at the Palais des Congrès, Cinéma Le Colisée, and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. 

With its bold and diverse selection, the FIFM 2025 reaffirms its position as a vital platform for dialogue, creativity, and cultural exchange, bridging continents and generations through the power of cinema.

This year, Marrakech once again transforms into a beating heart of world cinema, a place where languages, genres, and cultures collide in the glow of the screen. 

For nine days, filmmakers, actors, and dreamers from 31 countries will gather not just to screen their work, but to share something far rarer: a belief in cinema’s power to question, to connect, and to endure.