While some folks travel from far and wide to see the impressive films of the Marrakech Film Festival, some of us are lucky enough to be within walking distance of the theater and have tickets to see the movies…and to be American. When I heard that the Film Festival was coming to town I got really excited because I make films and I love watching movies and it seemed so perfect that such a large festival would be nearly in my backyard. However, i worried that getting tickets would be too difficult or expensive.
When we returned from our trip to the North of Morocco I was pleasantly surprised that we had been able to get tickets, with the help of our friend Youssef, and that same afternoon, I went to get a badge. To my surprise, you don't have to pay for a badge and all we had to do was show them our passport copies and we got a badge that would allow us to go into any of the daytime movies at the Palais de Congre, a beautiful building that is used for special occasions.
We decided to go that night and were all really excited. It was lit up and there was a red carpet unfurled where the stars would drive up and get out to pose for the cameras. We were waiting in a really long line of people and the guard told us that we couldn't go into the theater until 8, an hour later than we should have gone in. However, some of our group was already inside and they told us the secret, they would let foreigners in. It felt really awkward and we all stared at each other in disbelief because it didn't feel right at all that we would receive special treatment. Yet, we decided that we would see what would happen and were directed to a different door to enter. We ended up finding seats high in the balcony. That night was the tribute to Terry Giliam who is the director of Mighty Python movies and many others. We got to see him speak and then they showed a short film of his called "The Wholly Family" which was relatively creepy and about a boy who steals a doll and it comes to life at night. Then the full length movie was in Italian with subtitles and about a woman and her postpartum depression. It was very well made though and I really liked the shots and creativity of it.
The next day we went to a Moroccan Movie called Andalusia My Love. This time we squeezed our way in from the huge crowd outside and got in. We decided on a plan to walk confidently and made it into the section of the theater where the actors sit. They didn't question us, probably because we're foreigners. It's strange to have our tendency to stand out be positive but almost uncomfortable to be allowed to do more than other people just because of our appearance. We sat a few rows behind the actors of the film! The movie was very original but the best part was how excited all of the audience was. When some cultural joke happened or someone said something funny, the whole crowd would burst into applause and yelling. I thought their support of the country and excitement over the film was great!
The Film Festival so far has been a great experience and I am glad I got to go and take advantage of one of the great things here in Marrakech. Over the weekend I plan on going to some movies in Jamaal Fna which will undoubtedly be crazy and wild with huge amounts of people trying to find a way to watch the movie.
