Sean Penn, David Cronenberg & Naïma Elmcherqui Set For Marrakech Honors

The Marrakech International Film Festival will honor Sean Penn and David Cronenber and late Moroccan actor Naïma Elmcherqui at its upcoming 21st edition, kicking off in late November.

The posthumous honor for Elmcherqui (aka Lamcharki) has been announced just three weeks after her death at the age of 81 years old on October 5.

Elmcherqui was one of Morocco’s most revered actresses with highlights of her 60-year career including Badis (1989) Allal Al Kalda (2003) and Autumn of Apple Trees (2021), for which she received the Best Actress award at the Arab Film Festival in Malmö.

A life-long supporter of emerging talent, she also took a role in Nabil Ayouch’s first 1992 short film Les Pierres bleues du desert, starring a teenage Jamel Debbouze, who would go on to become one of Morocco and France’s best known comedians and actors.

The festival described Elmcherqui as an advocate of Moroccan culture and “a loyal friend” who had been a member of the board of directors of its foundation.

Penn will be making his first appearance at the Marrakech International Film Festival and his first visit to Morocco for the honor.

The festival noted his award-winning acting career under the direction of filmmakers such as Brian De Palma, Oliver Stone, David Fincher, Terrence Malick, and Woody Allen as well as his later move into directing.

“Alongside being one of the greatest actors in contemporary cinema, Penn is also a renowned director whose critically acclaimed films explore themes such as justice, communion with nature, and the conflicts that ravage the world. An eminently committed artist, Penn uses his fame in the service of numerous causes,” it said.

Cronenberg has been on the festival circuit this year with body horror The Shrouds, starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce, his 23rd feature film in a 60-year career also featuring classics such as The Fly, Crash, Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method.

“As a filmmaker working with paranormal and supernatural subjects, Cronenberg’s work achieved cult status and has impacted many directors of subsequent generations, who cite him as a major influence,” said the festival, noting his collaborations with actors such as Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

The director said of the honor: “I’ve been hearing for years how wonderful the Marrakech International Film Festival is, and now the stars have finally aligned and I am here—not, amazingly, just to experience the festival, but to receive this prestigious and lovely award for my half century of work. What a delight and what an honor.”

The Marrakech International Film Festival runs from November 29 to December 7.