The 16th annual Marrakech Film Festival opened on Friday, with an introduction by Hungarian Master Béla Tarr who serves as the 16th edition jury president.
Tarr, a radical filmmaker best known for “The Man From London” and “The Turin Horse,” made a heart-warming, politics-free speech celebrating the humanistic virtues of cinema, reported Variety.
“We all are here because we all believe of the power of the motion picture, we all believe in human beings, in human dignity and dignity of all kinds of life and I hope we’ll see beautiful movies. Cross your fingers for the future,” said Tarr, stirring strong applauses.
The ceremony was followed by the Moroccan premiere of Kim Jee-woon’s “The Age Of Shadows” and a lavish party hosted by Prince Moulay Rachid.
Tarr is presiding over a multinational jury composed of Italian actress Jasmine Trinca, Moroccan actress Fatima Harrandi, Indian-French actress Kalki Koechlin, French director Bruno Dumont, Canadian actress Suzanne Clement, American actor Jason Clarke, Swedish director Billie August and Argentine director Lisandro Alonso.

Source: Arab News