Marrakech International Film Festival Spotlights Major Talent: Bong Joon‑ho, Jenna Ortega & Andrew Garfield Attend in Morocco

Marrakech International Film Festival

The Marrakech International Film Festival had announced a high-profile lineup of guests for its latest edition in Morocco, underscoring the event’s growing status on the global cinema calendar. Among those attending are South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, Hollywood star Jenna Ortega and acclaimed actor Andrew Garfield.

The festival’s organizers say the presence of these industry heavyweights signals a renewed ambition: to position Marrakech as a cultural bridge between North Africa, Europe and the global film community. With Cannes, Venice and Berlin firmly established, Marrakech aims to bring a fresh voice—and renewed energy—to film diplomacy and artistic discovery.

Bong Joon-ho, known for his layered social thrillers and genre-bending style, will participate in masterclasses and spotlight discussions, offering festival goers unique insight into his craft and international breakout. Ortega and Garfield, meanwhile, bring generation-defining appeal across streaming audiences and young cinema watchers, adding pop culture gravitas to the festival’s more auteur-driven credentials.

For African and North African audiences, the festival’s rising profile has important knock-on effects: local filmmakers gain more global visibility, regional film business infrastructure attracts stronger partnerships, and international platforms are more likely to discover and distribute African talent. When stars of this calibre attend a festival in Morocco, the message is clear: this isn’t just a cultural stop-over—it’s a cinematic destination.

For anyone watching African cinema’s next chapter, this edition is already shaping up to matter.