Eisenberg Film Opens Marrakech Festival

Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut” will open the 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival next month. The film stars Julianne Moore as a shy housewife who is cast in a community theater musical and transforms into a zealous Method actor. Both Eisenberg and Moore are expected to attend the out-of-competition gala screening.

The festival runs from Nov. 20 to 28. It marks a return for several prominent directors. Luca Guadagnino will present the regional premiere of “Artificial,” which traces the rise of OpenAI founder Sam Altman. Andrew Garfield plays Altman in the film. Guadagnino is a regular attendee at the festival.

James Gray will also return with his crime thriller “Paper Tiger.” The film stars Adam Driver and Miles Teller. Other gala screenings include two world premieres. Brazilian director Fellipe Barbosa presents “Leila et la nuit,” inspired by the life of Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui. Roschdy Zem and Marina Foïs star in that title. Egyptian director Omar Hilal presents “His Weakest Creatures,” marking the first on-screen pairing of Egyptian stars Ahmed Helmy and Hend Sabry.

John Turturro will present Noah Segan’s “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” in the gala section. Turturro plays an aging pickpocket in the film. The section also includes “Strawberries” by Laïla Marrakchi. Selected as Morocco’s entry for the Oscars, the film follows Moroccan seasonal laborers hired to pick strawberries in Spain who stand up to abusive employers.

The official competition features 14 first and second feature films. A jury headed by actor Marion Cotillard will award the Étoile d’Or. Three competition titles are world premieres. Yassine Marco Marroccu directs the Sahara-set drama “Alkebulan.” Farzad Samsami directs “Waves of Silence,” a Morocco-set drama about migrant shipwrecks. Rani Massalha and Salem Massalha direct the political thriller “Cairo Shadows,” set in the Coptic Christian community in Egypt.

Other competition entries include regional premieres of films seen elsewhere. Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo’s “Ben’imana” premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. Palestinian director Abdallah Alkhatib presents “Chronicles From the Siege.” Rafiki Fariala’s “Congo Boy” and Lebanese director Rami Kodeih’s “Furies” also appear in the competition.

The Horizons section features 21 films from global auteurs. Works by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Pawel Pawlikowski, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Nanni Moretti are included. Arab cinema is represented by Egyptian director Mohammed Hammad’s “Safe Exit,” Sara Ishaq’s “The Station,” and Ahmed Hassouna’s Gaza-set documentary “Citizen Osama.”