American film director Jeff Nichols to lead Atlas Workshops at Marrakech Film Festival

The Marrakech International Film Festival will hold its 21st edition from November 29 to December 7, 2024, with acclaimed American director Jeff Nichols serving as the patron of its 7th Atlas Workshops.

According to the festival's official announcement made in Rabat on October 25, 2024, the Atlas Workshops will run from December 1-5, featuring 27 selected projects from 13 countries. The selection includes 17 projects in development and 10 films in production or post-production, chosen from 320 applications across Africa and the Arab world.

This year's program expands to five days, up from its previous four-day format, and introduces new support initiatives. The Atlas Distribution Awards, launched last year, will include a dedicated day for regional distributors' discussions. Additionally, the Atlas Station program debuts with 10 Moroccan talents receiving tailored mentorship.

Notable projects include Lina Soualem's «Alicante», Moroccan director Djanis Bouzyani's documentary «And Still I Rise», and Marwan Hamed's «El Sett», a biopic about Umm Kulthum. The selection also features returning filmmakers whose projects were previously developed at the workshops, including Zamo Mkhwanazi's «Laundry» and Meryem Benm'Barek's «Behind the Palm Trees».