Finnish actor wins Best Actor in Marrakech Film Festival

The top acting award at the Marrakesh international film festival has gone to Finnish actor Eero Aho from Oulu for his role in the Finnish film Käsky (which means "Command" in Finnish) but given the English title "Tears of April". Best actress award went to American actress Melissa Leo for her part in "Frozen River".

The Etoile d'Or (Golden Star) for the Best Movie went to "Wild Field" by Georgian-Russian director Mikhail Kalatozishvili.

The film tells the story of a young doctor who chooses to work in the , empty and deserted steppe. The villagers turn to him, not only for professional advice but also to share their daily problems with him.

The Jury Prize was awarded to Chinese movie "The Shaft" by Zhang Chi.

Some 15 entries competed for the top prize, including films from China, India, Denmark, Ireland and the Philippines. Leading the jury was American director Barry Levinson, who directed Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam" and Tom Cruise in "Rain Man".


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"Kandisha" entered in Marrakech Film Festival.

Moroccan feature-length film "Kandisha" by Jerome Cohen-Olivar will take part in the competition of the 8th Marrakech International Film Festival which runs from tomorrow until November 22.

There are fourteen other films from several countries. They are "100" by Chris Martinez (Philippines), "Im Winter ein Jahr" by Caroline Link (Germany), "Sveitabruokaup" by Valdis Oskarsdottir (Iceland), "Eden" by Declan Recks (Ireland), "El nido vacio " by Daniel Burman (Argentina), "Flammen & Citronen" by Ole Christian Madsen (Denmark), "Frozen River" by Courtney Hunt, "Prince Of Broadway" by Sean Baker, "Kasky" by Aku Louhimies (Finland), "Il primo giorno d'inverno" by Mirko Locatelli (Italy), "Dixi of Tiankong" by Zhang Chi (China), "Pora Umierac" by Dorota Kedzierzawska (Poland), "Diko Pole" by Mikhail Kalatozishvili (Russia), and "Zero Bridge" by Tariq Tapa (USA & India).

The movies will vie for four prizes: The Golden Star, The Jury Prize, Best Female Performance and Best Male Performance.

Chaired by American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer Barry Levinson, this year's jury includes Sebastian Koch(German actor), Joaquim de Almeida (Portuguese actor), Hugh Hudson (Biritish director, screenwriter, and producer), Caterina Murino (Italian actress), Agusti Villaronga (Spanish director and writer), Natacha Regnier (French actress), Ghita El Khayat (Moroccan writer), and Mariama Barry (Guinean-Senegalese writer).

The 8th edition of FIFM will pay a special tribute to British, Russian, Egyptian and Moroccan cinema.

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Marrakech International Film Festival - 8th Edition

The 8th Marrakech international film festival (FIFM) will pay tribute to two world-famous actresses, American Sigoureney Weaver and Asian Michelle Yeoh. wThe festival runs from November 14th to 22nd.

Also, under the theme "40 years of the British cinema" the festival will screen 40 movies tracing the history of the British cinema - an industry that has managed to keep its unique flavour and style amidst globalised competition.

Cinema lovers will have a taste of Russian cinema through seven works of prominent Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky, as part of "Andrei Konchalovsky's Russia" special.

The festival will screen eleven Egyptian movies in a second tribute to the late film director Youssef Chahin, as part of "Best of Youssef Chahine" special. The festival had already paid tribute to the Egyptian legend in 2004.

Under the theme “50 years of Moroccan cinema”, the festival will pay tribute to the godfather of Moroccan Cinema, Mohamed Osfour.

The International Film Festival of Marrakech started in 2001 as one of the big events devoted to the 7th art in Morocco which has developed i recent years as the location for the filming of many international productions.




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