Marrakech Festival to Launch with Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut

Published on November 2, 2026, the festival announced a program of 76 films from 39 countries. The Debut will lead the Gala Screenings, and Eisenberg and Moore are expected to attend. Moore portrays a reserved homemaker who finds a love of stage performance and becomes a dedicated Method actor.

The festival’s Official Competition features 14 first and second films competing for the Étoile d’Or. Actress Marion Cotillard will head the jury. Three competition titles are set to have their world premieres in Marrakech: Alkebulan, Waves of Silence and Cairo Shadows.

The Gala program also features a pair of films premiering globally: Leila et la nuit by Fellipe Barbosa, drawing on the life of Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui, and Omar Hilal’s His Weakest Creatures, reuniting Egyptian performers Ahmed Helmy and Hend Sabry in a film for the first time. Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial will receive a regional premiere, while James Gray will present Paper Tiger.

Other gala selections include Noah Segan’s The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, with John Turturro expected to attend, and Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries. The latter is Morocco’s submission to the Oscars and follows Moroccan seasonal workers picking strawberries in Spain who resist abusive employers.

The wider program includes sections for independent cinema, Moroccan films, children and families, and tributes. Eleven Moroccan films will appear across the festival’s sections, alongside three films shot in Morocco.