The prolific, and outspoken actress and producer will head the jury which will award the Étoile d’Or to one of the fourteen films by first- or second-time directors in the festival’s international competition.

Over the course of the last decade, Jessica Chastain has established herself as one of Hollywood's greatest performers, with a string of starring roles for renowned directors including Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow, Christopher Nolan, and Ridley Scott. She has won several awards for her remarkable interpretations of a multitude of characters in front of the camera, as well as for the exemplary quality of the projects she has taken on in the role of producer.

Among my favorite projects she’s been a part of are Zero Dark Thirty, by Bigelow, where she took on the role of Maya, a woman drawn from the real-life CIA operative who helped capture Osama Bin Laden. But also Mira in the remake of Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage opposite the equally fascinating Oscar Isaac as Jonathan Levy. The list could go on and on as far as Chastain is concerned, as even her sporting bright red lips in the 2017 Aaron Sorkin drama Molly’s Game is the stuff of legends.

“I am honoured to serve as the jury president for the esteemed Marrakech International Film Festival, marking its 20th edition this year, and am excited to return to the Festival having last attended in 2011. Being entrusted with this role is a privilege and I look forward to celebrating incredible global talent within the world of cinema”, said Jessica Chastain.

In 2022, Chastain was named Best Actress at the 94th Academy Awards for her portrayal of the inimitable Tammy Faye in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. 

In 2016, Chastain founded Freckle Films, a New York-based production company for film and television projects. In addition to The 355, The Eyes of Tammy Faye and George & Tammy, Freckle Films is currently developing the series adaptation of two novels, His and Hers by Alice Feeney and The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan.

Most recently, she stars in Michel Franco's Memory, produced by Freckle Films and starring Chastain along with Peter Sarsgaard, which will be released shortly and is currently screening at the ongoing London Film Festival.

In her recent return to Broadway after more than a decade, Chastain shone in the revival of Henrik Ibsen's classic A Doll's House, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, and for which she won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role in a Play.

The Marrakech International Film Festival will take place from November 24th to December 2nd 2023. As in past editions, it will feature a healthy selection of MENA filmmakers alongside some great international titles and revered auteurs. This year’s anniversary edition of the festival will feature Martin Scorsese as patron, overlooking the 6th edition of the Atlas Workshops and lending his name to participating projects.

For more info, check out their website.

Image by © Giampaolo Sgura, used with permission of the festival.