The 19th FIFM pays tribute to four personalities of the 7th art from different continents | Hespress French

The 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM), scheduled for November 11 to 19, will pay tribute to four personalities of the 7th art from different continents in recognition of their brilliant careers.

Scottish actress Tilda Swinton, American filmmaker James Gray, Moroccan director Farida Benlyazid and Indian actor Ranveer Singh will receive the Festival’s Gold Star, said a press release from the FIFM.

In this sense, Tilda Swinton, quoted by the press release, expressed her gratitude and emotion for “this honor from the Marrakech Festival”. The Scottish actress, who said she “deeply loves and admires the Marrakech festival”, expressed her immense joy at meeting her friends in order to “celebrate this exceptional meeting of world cinema and the eternal complicity between film buffs around the world. whole, and to find this magnificent public”.

For his part, James Gray expressed his joy for this tribute. “I am very happy to present my film Armageddon Time to Moroccan festival-goers,” he said, stressing that the film reflects past aspects of his childhood but also paints a portrait of current issues and injustices. “Thank you for acknowledging these subjects which, for the most part, are present in all my films, and for doing me such an honor,” he said.

Farida Benlyazid, for her part, expressed her gratitude to King Mohammed IV for having “created this beautiful celebration which brings together members of the Moroccan cinema family, with those from all over the world”. “I thank His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, it is a great honor to receive this tribute, after having been a member of the jury during the first edition”, she underlined. “I particularly like this Festival which promotes the first and second works of their authors. Over the years I have had the pleasure of seeing wonderful films, the selection there has always been excellent. And it is with great emotion that I look forward to seeing you there,” she said.

As for the Indian actor Ranveer Singh, he declared: “I am deeply honored to receive a tribute in recognition of my career; through this very special distinction, the Golden Star of the Marrakech Festival! Knowing that my work has transcended geographical and cultural boundaries and found resonance in Africa is extremely gratifying. »

And to add that “for a humble artist, who wishes to bring people together through entertainment, it is an immense happiness. I can’t wait to be in Marrakech to soak up the love of the people and express my gratitude to them”.

A unique actress in the world cinematographic landscape, Tilda Swinton has built one of the most prodigious and singular filmographies of recent decades, alternating roles in demanding arthouse films and Hollywood blockbusters, recalls the press release. Faithful to the filmmakers whose path she crosses, she was the muse of Derek Jarman then of Luca Guadagnino, and collaborates regularly with Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson and Joanna Hogg. Capable of all transformations, she crosses genres and characters, surprises and excels each time, and has led an extraordinary career for more than 30 years that has made her one of the most fascinating figures in contemporary cinema.

Discovered in the 90s with his first film, Little Odessa, which he directed at the age of 25, American filmmaker James Gray “immediately established himself as an essential filmmaker, among the most gifted of his generation.”

Author of several masterpieces such as The Yards, The Night Belongs to Us and Two Lovers, James Gray has built a special place for himself, on the border between independent cinema and studios. Brilliant heir to New Hollywood, an erudite inéphile, he is the author of a naturalistic and intimate work, traversed by filial and romantic relationships, outsider characters and existential choices.

The first Moroccan woman to start producing films, Farida Benlyazid is, according to the press release, a “true pioneer of Moroccan cinema” and “a central figure in national cinema”.

She is the first Moroccan woman to embark on the production of a film, an accomplished screenwriter who has written several classics such as Dolls of Reeds, Badis and In Search of My Wife’s Husband, and the director of a work crossed by questions of spirituality, the place of women in society and the quest for justice and truth. A free and independent artist, Farida Benlyazid paved the way for many Moroccan women directors who saw in the author of Une porte sur le ciel and Ruses de femmes, an inspiration and a model.

As for Ranveer Singh, recalls the press release, he experienced, in the space of a decade, a lightning ascent and established himself as one of the most talented actors in Bollywood, going beyond the borders of his country. In Morocco and in Marrakech in particular, Bollywood has “very many admirers and Ranveer Singh is one of the most appreciated personalities”.

The 19th FIFM pays tribute to four personalities of the 7th art from different continents | Hespress French