Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho Marrakech Film Festival announced as jury president moves taste, money, and attention in equal measure.
From Los Angeles and Manhattan to Berlin and Hong Kong, the world’s most avid filmgoers will be watching Marrakech this season.
Running November 28 to December 6, the festival’s international competition crowns the Étoile d’Or, honoring one of 14 first and second features. For a city that thrives on cross-continental glamour and sharp storytelling, Bong’s stewardship signals a jury with range and rigor. Expect conversations that carry as Morocco becomes the year’s essential screening room.
Jury Journey from Genre into Prestige
Appointing Bong Joon Ho Marrakech Film Festival jury president is a programming statement. The Oscar winning director has a track record of vaulting genre into prestige, and prestige into pop culture. That fusion suits Marrakech, a festival known for championing emerging voices while keeping a keen eye on the global marketplace. The result is credibility that resonates with investors, distributors, and audiences.
Jury presidency is not ceremonial. It is editorial leadership that shapes which breakthrough voices reach the stage and, soon after, the art houses and screening rooms.
Competition runs November 28 to December 6
This year’s event runs from November 28 to December 6. The jury will award the Étoile d’Or to one of the 14 feature length films in international competition.
From Parasite to Mickey 17
Bong arrives in Marrakech on the heels of his eighth feature, Mickey 17, adapted from Edward Ashton’s 2022 sci fi novel. The story follows a directionless man in a near future who signs on as an expendable worker, regenerated after fatal missions, with a cast that includes Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. The premise is pure Bong: high concept, morally knotted, and slyly political.
Museum moment
In March, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles opened Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho, the first exhibition dedicated to the filmmaker. It traces his creative development through his films and the films that influenced him, and it runs until January 10, 2027.
