Sean Penn hails Marrakech Film Festival as premier global cinema event
The Marrakech International Film Festival has secured its place among the world’s premier cinematic events, American director and actor Sean Penn said on Tuesday in Marrakech.
Sean Penn who is attending the ongoing 21st edition of the festival praised at a news conference the perfect organization of this global event as well as its impressive growth and its global reputation, emphasizing that the quality of films screened underscores its stature in the international film community.
The American artist also welcomed the vibrant tribute paid to him by the festival on Saturday, highlighting Morocco as a destination he had long wished to discover.
The FIFM 2024 celebrated the over 40 years remarkable career of «Hollywood’s enfant terrible», blending artistic expression with deep reflections on the human condition. While receiving the emblematic Golden Star from the hands of Italian actress Valeria Golino, he extended his heartfelt thanks «to the 37 million Moroccans» for the warm reception he received.
He also welcomed the opportunity he has to meet, during the festival, international filmmakers and actors whom he deeply admires and with whom he has been able to forge genuine relationships.
The American icon also expressed his admiration for the documentary film “The Mother of All Lies” by Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, which won the Golden Star at the 20th Marrakech International Film Festival last year, noting that “this is a remarkable and carefully crafted work, both historically and cinematically.”
Speaking on streaming platforms, Sean Penn said that, while they made films more accessible, they reduced the presence of foreign films in cinemas, mainly in the U.S.
Delving on the lessons he has learned from his rich artistic career, he said that “the best lesson I’ve learned is to never stop learning. You mustn’t be content with past experience, but continue to evolve, to surpass yourself, and to always start from scratch.”
Two-time Oscar-winning actor, filmmaker and author Sean Penn has become an American icon through a career spanning more than forty years. He has been nominated five times for the Best Actor Oscar, for “The Last March” (Tim Robbins, 1995), “Sweet and Lowdown” (Woody Allen, 2000), “I am Sam” (Jessie Nelson, 2002), before his striking performance in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River earned him his first Best Actor Oscar in 2003, followed by another for Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” in 2009.
Alongside his acting career, Sean Penn is also an acclaimed filmmaker whose filmography includes the Oscar-nominated “Into the Wild”, “Flag Day”, “The Pledge”, “The Crossing Guard and his first film, “The Indian Runner.”
