Assahafa.com
The Étoile d’Or Grand Prix of the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival, held under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, has been awarded to Franco-Tunisian filmmaker Erige Sehire’s “Promised Sky,” announced the Jury of the official competition during the closing ceremony that took place on Saturday night at Marrakech’s Congress Palace.
During this ceremony attended by cinema stars as well as figures from the cultural and media spheres, the Festival’s jury, chaired by Korean filmmaker, Bong Joon Ho, announced “Promised Sky” as the Grand Prix winner, having competed against 12 other feature-length films from different countries.
Supported by the Festival’s Atlas Workshops, the 93-minute film tells the story of Marie, Ivorian pastor and former journalist living in Tunis, who receives Naney, a young mother in search of a better feature, and Jolie, a determined student carrying the hopes of her family back home.
The Jury thus rewarded a piece of work that dares to look at the word through a different lens, with a rare poetic force and an artistic vision fully engaged in reality. Other than the “Étoile d’Or” Grand Prix, Debora Lobe Naney won Best Actress Award for her role in “Promised Sky.”
As for the Jury Prize, it was awarded ex aequo to “My Father and Qaddafi” by director Jihan K and to “Memory” by Vladlena Sandu, two deeply personal films in which intimate stories intersect with broader history.
The Best Director Award went to Oscar Hudson for “Straight Circle”, whose formal rigor and artistic inventiveness left a strong impression.
In the acting category, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù received the Best Actor Award for “My Father’s Shadow” by Akinola Davies Jr.
The jury also praised the nuanced performances of actors Elliot Tittensor and Luke Tittensor in Oscar Hudson’s “Straight Circle”, granting them a special mention.
Speaking on this occasion, the president of this edition’s jury expressed his joy at taking part in the Marrakech International Film Festival alongside the other jury members, extending his warm thanks to the Festival’s organizers and to all Moroccans.
Joon Ho also stressed that all the films in the official competition were excellent, and even though only some won awards, they are all winners and deserve enthusiastic applause.
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