Marrakech film festival: the 2026 lineup spans 76 films from 39 countries
· BehindLines newsroom
The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival will run from 20 to 28 November 2026. The programme was unveiled on Monday 2 November: 76 films from 39 countries, including ten world premieres, according to Moroccan media.
Competition and jury
The official competition gathers 14 first and second features vying for the Étoile d'or, under the presidency of actress Marion Cotillard. Three world premieres are among them, per Le360: Alkebulan by Yassine Marco Marroccu, an adventure set between the Sahara of the 1960s and Italy of the 1930s and presented by Le360 as Morocco's representative in the competition; Waves of Silence by Farzad Samsami; and Les Chiffonniers du Caire by Rani and Salem Massalha. Other titles named by Hespress include Ben'imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo and Congo Boy by Rafiki Fariala.
Opening film and sections
The opening film is Mona, a comedy by Jesse Eisenberg starring Julianne Moore, according to Le360 and Le Courrier de l'Atlas. The latter also lists among the gala screenings His Weakest Creatures by Omar Hilal and La más dulce by Laïla Marrakchi, Morocco's Oscar entry. The Horizons section has 21 films (Le Courrier de l'Atlas mentions a focus on Arab cinema and several African titles), 11e Continent offers 13, and eleven screenings are aimed at children, teenagers and families. Hespress also says twelve works are backed by the Ateliers de l'Atlas and eleven films represent their countries in the Oscar race. Screenings are held at the Palais des Congrès, the Le Colisée cinema and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, among others.
Moroccan cinema's share
Eleven Moroccan films appear across the sections, plus three productions shot in Morocco. The Panorama of Moroccan Cinema has six films, three of them world premieres, and opens with Bardi by Tala Hadid. Mohcine Besri presents Toutes sauf ma mère as a world premiere in the youth programme.
All three sources date from 2 November; the programme may still change before the opening, and this article carries only what they confirm.