Maryam Touzani collects successes and awards. His latest feature film, “Le bleu du caftan”, which will be released in Moroccan cinemas on June 7, is the subject of rave reviews around the world and has won numerous awards at international festivals, the first being the FIPRESCI prize in the “Un certain regard” selection, at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
A year later, here is the Moroccan director again in the light of this same festival. But this time, it is as a member of the jury that Maryam Touzani signs her return to this new edition which will take place from May 16 to 27.
Read also: Cinema: Maryam Touzani in the jury of the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival 2023
“I was contacted to invite me to be part of the jury and it remained confidential for a very long time”, explains the director for Le360, confident that “the surprise was total”. “I was very happy,” she continues, especially since “it’s the first time that a Moroccan has joined this jury in Cannes.” The feeling of pride is also in place for the screenwriter, who says she is honored “to be able to represent Morocco in such an event”.
Read also: Oscars 2023: “Le Bleu du Caftan” by Maryam Touzani selected for the Oscar for best international feature film
A film critic in her early days, Maryam Touzani will officiate as a member of the jury alongside actors Denis Ménochet, Brie Larson and Paul Dano, directors Julia Ducournau, Rungano Nyoni and Damian Szifron, as well as writer Atiq Rahimi. “It’s an honor for me to be part of this jury, to be able to take a look at these films at a festival like Cannes. It’s really something very beautiful, ”continues the one who is currently working on the publication of a first novel.
As part of the official competition for this 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the members of the jury will have to decide between 21 productions, including films by Ken Loach and Wim Wenders. As for Moroccan cinema, it is represented in the Un certain regard category with the films “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq and “Kadib Abyad” by Asmae El Moudir, or even “Déserts” by Faouzi Bensaïdi which appears in the 55th selection of the Quinzaine des cinéastes.