The 15th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival was graced with the presence of Bill Murray, the great American actor with a legendary sense of humour, who came to receive the Étoile d’Or from Sofia Coppola, who has directed him on several occasions. The audience on Jemaa El Fna Square was thrilled to see the actor, who knows Morocco well for having filmed here. After celebrating Spanish, Egyptian, Mexican, Japanese, and French cinema, among others, in past editions, Marrakech welcomed a large delegation of representatives of Canadian cinema, headed by director Atom Egoyan (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter). This year, the festival’s Tribute section honoured Indian actor Madhuri Dixit, South Korean director Park Chan-wook, Moroccan cinematographer Kamal Derkaoui, and American actor Willem Dafoe.

Chaired by the great American director Francis Ford Coppola, the jury brought together personalities of diverse origins, among them Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase, French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila, and Moroccan actor Amal Ayouch. The Étoile d’Or was awarded to Very Big Shot by Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, while the jury exceptionally decided to award the Jury Prize to all the other films in the competition.

The Cinécoles jury, chaired by Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse, awarded the Short Film Award to the young Moroccan director Réda Jaï for La Fille qui venait de nulle part. The 15th edition was also marked by excellent masterclasses given by filmmakers Abbas Kiarostami of Iran, Park Chan-wook of South Korea, and the German director Fatih Akin.