Bong Joon Ho will serve as the jury president of this year’s Marrakech Film Festival.
This year’s event runs from November 28 to December 6. The jury awards the Étoile d’Or to one of the 14 first and second feature-length films in the international competition.
“For many years, Marrakech has been a champion of fresh, beautiful films. I’m delighted and honored to be part of that tradition,” Bong said in a statement. “I look forward to sharing a powerful cinematic experience with the festival audience and reflecting on the true value of ‘cinema.’ Our anticipation and excitement will be palpable in front of the big screens of Marrakech.”
Director Bong is coming off the release of his eighth feature, Mickey 17. Adapted from Edward Ashton’s 2022 sci-fi novel of ‘Mickey 7’, Mickey 17 revolves around a directionless man living in a near future who signs up for a job as an “expendable”, or disposable employee sent on dangerous missions who is automatically regenerated if he perishes on the job. Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo star in the film.
Bong’s other credits include Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017), and the history-making Parasite (2019).
In March, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles opened the exhibition Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho. It is the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the Oscar-winning director and traces his creative development through his films and the films that most influenced him. The exhibition will run until January 10th, 2027.