“In Conversation with,” one of the most anticipated components of the Marrakech Film Festival, is bringing together some of cinema’s biggest personalities to create a debate with cinema enthusiasts and professionals in the Red City, featuring Willem Dafoe, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, and more.
The conversations will be rich and exciting, with this year’s special guests,
including charismatic Australian actor and director Simon Baker; talented Moroccan
director Faouzi Bensaïdi; free-spirited French director Bertrand Bonello; legendary Willem Dafoe; influential Indian filmmaker and producer Anurag Kashyap; singular Japanese director Naomi Kawase; magnetic Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen; talented Danish-American actor and director Viggo Mortensen; chameleonic Scottish actor Tilda Swinton; and multi-award-winning, widely respected Russian director and screenwriter Andrey Zvyagintsev.
The festival paid tribute to Swinton last year, on the very last day of the festival, as she was in the company of British director, screenwriter, and producer Joanna Hogg to present “The Eternal Daughter”, directed by Joanna and starring Tilda. Hogg also comes back this year as a jury member.
Simon Baker is known to audiences around the world for his performances in film and television, especially in “L.A. Confidential”, “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Mentalist”.
As for Faouzi Bensaïdi, he will show his latest film “Deserts” at the festival which he considers home.
Bertrand Bonello has several award-winning productions, featured in international cinema celebrations and competitions.
The great Willem Dafoe needs no introduction, having made more than one hundred films for his legendary career.
Dafoe is respected throughout the world for bringing versatility, boldness, and daring to some of the most iconic films of our time. His artistic curiosity in exploring the human condition led him to projects all over the world.
The Indian director Anurag Kashyap is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contribution to cinema, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2013, the year India was the featured country at the Festival de Cannes to commemorate one hundred years of Indian cinema.
Japanese director Naomi Kawase continues to make films based in Nara City, the town where she was born and raised. Her works, made through a consistent reality, go beyond the boundaries of documentary and fiction and have received many awards from film festivals around the world.
Great Danish talent Mads Mikkelsen has several celebrated roles, landing him significant nominations and making him a special actor for playing diverse and complex roles in “007”, “The Hunt”, and most recently “Indiana Jones”.
The Russian Andrey Zvyagintsev has made several stage, film, and television appearances as an actor, before his directorial debut with “The Return”, which won the Golden Lion and the Lion of the Future at the Venice International Film Festival.
Lastly, Viggo Mortensen, known most for playing Aragorn in “The lord of the Rings” trilogy, is joining the program’s lineup to talk about his career, best roles, and personal experiences.