Morocco’s Leila Marrakchi in Jury of Cairo International Film Festival

By Yasyn Mouhir

Rabat – Moroccan film director Leila Marrakchi has been selected to be one of the members of the jury that will judge film entries for the 37th Cairo International Film Festival to be held November 11-20, 2015.

The 37th Cairo International Film Festival has announced the International Jury members for this year’s festival. The prestigious group includes renowned figures in the film industry from around the world.

The committee will be chaired by Danish director Bille August. He won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival twice for his movies “Pelle the Conqueror” in 1988 and “The Best Intentions” in 1992, and received the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for “Pelle the Conqueror” in 1989.

Thejury also includes French producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint, Georgian director George Ovashvili, Egyptian actress Dalia El-Beheri, Egyptian director Marwan Hamed, and Indian director, actress, and choreographer Farah Khan.

This is the first time a Moroccan director has been chosen to be on the jury at the Cairo International Film Festival, which has attracted famous cinema names since its inception under the chairmanship of the late critic Kamal Mallakh, and then the late writer Saad Eddin Wahba.

Marrakchi directed a collection of short films before her first long film “Marock” in 2005. Her latest film is “Rock the Casbah,” starring Omar Sharif, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, and Hiam Abbas.

16 films are competing in the 37th CIFF official competition, representing countries from different continents. According to the festival organizers, the 37th CIFF will present new films, as well as films that have caught the attention of critics and those interested in the seventh art.