The Marrakech International Film Festival will host the world premiere of “Alkebulan,” directed by Moroccan filmmaker Yassine Marco Marroccu. The film is among the fourteen first or second features selected for the official competition of the festival’s 23rd edition. It will therefore compete for the Étoile d’Or, although its selection does not indicate any award outcome before the jury has considered the competing films and the festival has concluded.
The official competition includes exactly three world premieres. Alongside “Alkebulan,” the programme features Farzad Samsami’s “Waves of Silence” and “Cairo Shadows,” also presented under the French title “Les Chiffonniers du Caire,” by Rani and Salem Massalha. Marroccu’s film consequently belongs to a small group of works scheduled to be unveiled to audiences for the first time as part of the Marrakech festival’s fourteen-title competition.
A story spanning the Sahara and Italy
The festival describes “Alkebulan” as an adventure spanning two geographical and historical settings: the Sahara in the 1960s and Italy in the 1930s. This description provides the main verified narrative reference currently available for the film. The retained sources do not offer enough information to elaborate on its plot, explain how those settings are connected, or assess its critical reception, audience response and artistic standing before the world-premiere screening takes place.
The feature is a coproduction involving Morocco, Hungary and Qatar. Its announced cast includes Mohamed Zouaoui, Sonia Okacha, Mourad Hmimou, Aliou Ba, Boubacar Niang and Michele Venitucci. These details establish the project’s international production profile and identify the performers named by the festival. They do not, however, provide verified information about commercial distribution or indicate when and where the film could become available following its presentation at the Marrakech festival.
A project supported by the Atlas Workshops
“Alkebulan” received support from the Atlas Workshops, the project-development initiative connected with the Marrakech International Film Festival. It is also identified among five African films supported by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie that have entered the official competition. Both points document the film’s path through established support mechanisms, while preserving the necessary distinction between project assistance, selection for a competitive programme and the possible award of a prize after jury deliberations.
Across the complete 2026 selection, twelve films were accompanied by the Atlas Workshops. The programme also contains ten world premieres and eleven films submitted by their respective countries for the Oscars. These figures concern the broader festival selection rather than the official competition alone. They provide context for “Alkebulan” without transferring to it any status, distinction or prospect that belongs specifically to another film included elsewhere in the announced programme.
Fourteen films before Marion Cotillard’s jury
All fourteen works competing for the Étoile d’Or are first or second feature films. The jury responsible for considering them will be presided over by Marion Cotillard. This framework centres the competition on filmmakers at an early stage of their feature-length careers. The available information nevertheless offers no verified basis for predicting the jury’s preferences, comparing the films’ award prospects or describing the reception that “Alkebulan” and the other entries may receive from festival audiences.
The festival’s 23rd edition is scheduled to run from November 20 to 28, 2026. Its announced selection comprises 76 films from 39 countries, providing the wider setting for the fourteen-film competition. Those totals should not be confused with the ten world premieres included across the complete selection or with the smaller group of three world premieres competing for the Étoile d’Or, one of which is Yassine Marco Marroccu’s “Alkebulan.”
Moroccan cinema across the programme
Moroccan representation extends beyond “Alkebulan.” The Moroccan Panorama contains six fiction and documentary films, while eleven Moroccan films appear across the festival’s different sections. Three additional productions in the programme were shot in Morocco. These figures reflect several distinct forms of national presence: Moroccan works selected throughout the festival, a dedicated panorama, and other productions connected with the country through filming, rather than through their classification as Moroccan films in the announced selection.
Beyond the official competition and Moroccan Panorama, the programme includes two further groupings detailed by the festival. Horizons comprises 21 films, while the 11th Continent contains thirteen titles combining contemporary works, documentaries and restored classics. This structure helps distinguish the competition for the Étoile d’Or from other strands of the selection, whose films do not necessarily share the competitive status held by “Alkebulan” and the thirteen other first or second features.
Practical details still to be confirmed
The festival is scheduled to open with Jesse Eisenberg’s “Mona,” starring Julianne Moore. Screenings during the edition are planned at the Palais des Congrès, Cinéma Le Colisée and Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. These details identify the opening film and the venues announced for festival screenings. They do not establish which venue will host the world premiere of “Alkebulan,” because no verified screening assignment or timetable for Marroccu’s film is provided in the retained information.
No confirmed date, time or venue for the “Alkebulan” screening appears in the supplied information. Interested festivalgoers will therefore need to consult the finalized official programme for the precise arrangements surrounding its world premiere. Until those practical details are confirmed, the established points remain its selection among fourteen first or second features, its world-premiere status and its entry in the competition for the Étoile d’Or, with no award result established in advance.
