It's a family affair: Marrakech Film Festival focuses on relationships, crime and punishment

The Marrakech International Film Festival has always attracted actors and filmmakers from around the world but, now in its 21st year, the Moroccan celebration of cinema is entering a new era of maturity.

Seventy features from 32 countries are being showcased for movie lovers to devour. A number of major Oscar contenders will be screened but unlike other larger events of its kind like Venice, Cannes or Toronto, Marrakech gives undeniably more prominence to emerging talent from the Middle East and Africa, both burgeoning markets.

Luca Guadagnino, the Italian-Algerian director of Queer is presiding over the panel which will give out the Gold Star for best film and other prestigious awards such as best director and best male and female performance.

The competition contains 14 first or second films. The nine-person jury includes actors Virginie Efira, Patricia Arquette, Jacob Elordi, Andrew Garfield as well as Ali Abbasi, the Iranian-Danish director of The Apprentice.

The films in competition include Saïd Hamich's Across the Sea about a young Moroccan man's immigration to Marseille and Damian Kocur's Under the Volcano, Poland's Oscar entry for Best International Feature.

The roster of actors and directors who will participate in this year’s conversations and tributes includes Sean Penn, Alfonso Cuarón and David Cronenberg.

Remi Bonhomme, the festival's artistic director, believes what makes Marrakech unique is its ability to draw talent on par with the world's largest festivals while also spotlighting up-and-coming directors from Morocco, the Middle East and Africa.

“We pay a lot of attention to countries that are underrepresented in cinema,” he said. “We support filmmakers who have their own voice, who develop a story that is in