Jessica Chastain Launches Marrakech Festival With Ode to Art, While Mads Mikkelsen Collects Career Achievement Award
variety.comBen Croll This year’s Marrakech International Film Festival opened with a testament to art. Two months after a devastating earthquake, and in light of the ever-more heart-wrenching news coming out of the Middle East, the film showcase kicked off with a humanist rallying cry voiced by jury president Jessica Chastain. “In the weeks leading up to the festival, we were not sure that we would even be able to be here,” Chastain said at the Marrakech opening ceremony on Friday. “The world we share is shattered and divided.
And so I have immense gratitude… [that] throughout history, art has been used as an accessible tool for communication, raising awareness about social issues and affecting positive change.” Indeed, now celebrating its 20th edition, the Moroccan event has always sought to shine a celebratory light, emphasizing art and international communion, especially in dark times.
Upon taking the stage on Friday, Chastain echoed those overarching sentiments. “[Cinema can] break down barriers and start important conversations about difficult topics,” said Chastain. “We can sublimate pain and suffering and give rise to a consciousness of healing and unification, to create a deeper protection for all.” Flanked by fellow jurors Dee Rees, Joanna Hogg, and Alexander Skarsgård, Chastain also noted the principally female makeup of this year’s jury, which also includes actors Joel Edgerton, Camille Cottin and Zahra Amir, alongside filmmaker Tarik Saleh and novelist Leila Slimani.
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