Jessica Chastain, resplendent in a shimmering silver tasseled jump suit, championed the power of art to bring about positive change at the opening night of the Marrakech Film Festival on Friday evening.
The actress is the attending the Moroccan film festival as the president of the jury.
She was joined on stage by jury members Iranian Holy Spider actress Zar Amir, Call My Agent! star Camille Cottin, Australian actor and director Joel Edgerton, UK director Joanna Hogg, U.S. director Dee Rees and Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh and actor Alexander Skarsgård.
“Throughout history art has been used as an accessible tool for communication, raising awareness about social issues and effecting positive change,” she said.
Citing the words of renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead on the power of “a small group of thoughtful committed citizens” to change the world, Chastain called on all those in the theatre to embrace the arts.
“I encourage us all to take action. Grab a paint brush an instrument, a pen… at this moment all around the world, we need art that speaks truth to power and uplifts us all.”
Friday’s opening ceremony also saw Danish actor Mad Mikkelsen receive Marrakech’s Etoile d’Or Life Achievement Award.
Actor Willem Dafoe presented Mikkelsen with the trophy, speaking fondly of his experience of working briefly with him in Julian Schnabel’s Vincent Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate.
Mikkelsen plays a pastor brought in to assess Van Gogh’s sanity after he is sent to a mental asylum where he is unable to paint.
“The fact that he accepted the role that was one scene, that was shot in one day, is evidence of his humility and generosity… Mads gave such compassion to the interrogating priest that the scene was elevated. He was an instinctive, playful scene partner and that day is a beautiful memory to me… Mads I thank you for that,” said Dafoe.
Mikkelsen has been on the road on-and-off since the late summer, first promoting Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny prior to the actors’ strike; and then travelling with Venice and Toronto title The Promised Land. He is now on the awards circuit as the latter film vies for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
He was upbeat about his current awards season commitments on Marrakech’s opening night red carpet.
The Marrakech Film Festival’s celebratory 20th edition is taking place just two months after a deadly earthquake in the nearby Atlas Mountains, which killed more than 2,000 people.
Festival Director Mélita du Toscan told Deadline that pushing on with the 20th edition was the right thing to do.
“My heart was broken. I was torn. Then we were told, ‘We want to do it. Morocco needs it.’ That gave me so much strength. “I called all the guests and said, ‘You have to come and support Morocco, support Marrakech. They need you’. Everybody said ‘Yes, we’re coming’.”
In the backdrop, the festival has also faced the additional challenges of the tail-end of the actors’ strike and global geopolitical tensions around the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The latter situation has led the festival to tone down its social calendar and also move its red carpet inside.
“We have reshaped several things to make the festival a bit sober in its form but we didn’t touch the program,” said Artistic Director Rémi Bonhomme.
The 20th Marrakech Film Festival runs from November 24 to December 2.