Fans of the 7th art lived, Saturday in the Ocher City, a most memorable evening with the strong tribute paid to the great American director and screenwriter James Gray, as part of the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival.
During this sumptuous ceremony, which took place within the confines of the majestic Palais des Congrès, in the presence in particular of emblematic figures of cinema, as well as a host of personalities from the world of arts, culture and media, Gray received, to thunderous applause, the Festival’s “Golden Star” from the hands of the great French actress, Marion Cotillard.
Devoting a real admiration to American cinema, the cinema-loving public came in large numbers to celebrate this great producer and director, whose cinematographic works are marked with a touch of classicism, inspired by the great European directors of the 1950s and 1960s, including Federico Fellini and Vittoria De Sica.
A true regular at this unmissable event, James Gray, who was also President of the Jury of the 17th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, expressed, on this occasion, his heartfelt thanks to King Mohammed VI and Prince Moulay Rachid as well as to the Festival Foundation for this prestigious distinction and for the organization of this unequaled international cultural and artistic event.
He also said he was very honored to have received the “Golden Star”, while expressing his immense joy to be present in Marrakech, this thousand-year-old city, which occupies such a special place in his heart and which arouses the admiration of the members of his family who often come to stay there.
The American star remembered, with a touch of nostalgia, the highlights of the 17th edition of the Festival, of which he was the president of the Jury, welcoming the very good level of cinematographic productions screened during this edition.
Born in New York in 1969, James Gray grew up in Queens and studied cinema at the University of Southern California. He was 25 when he made his first film “Little Odessa” which won the Critics’ Prize at the Deauville Festival, and the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, in addition to being selected for the “Independent Spirit Awards” , where it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
With several other feature films under his belt, James Gray’s latest project, ‘Armageddon Time’, which he also wrote, directed and produced, starring Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong as headliners, is distributed by Focus Features, and will be released in theaters across the Atlantic in the fall. True to its desire to celebrate world cinema in its diversity, the 19th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, which will continue until November 19, will pay tribute, alongside the great American director James Gray and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, to two other luminaries of the world of the 7th art in recognition of their remarkable artistic and professional careers.
They are the famous Scottish actress Tilda Swinton and the pioneer of Moroccan cinema, director Farida Benlyazid.
