Marrakech Film Festival 2026: Dates, Jury and Access

1. Dates, jury and public access in 2026

Marrakech International Film Festival 2026

20 to 28 November 2026 Free public e-pass Hivernage, venues to be confirmed November: around 21 °C by day

Organised by the Foundation of the Marrakech International Film Festival, the event is in its 23rd edition. The dates appear on the official accreditation page, and the 2026 rules and the Moroccan press confirm them.

Highlights

• An international competition of 14 films, first and second features.
• A top prize, the Étoile d’Or, worth USD 50,000 according to the 2026 rules.
• A professional strand, the Ateliers de l’Atlas, from 22 to 26 November.

For the public, the rule is simple: films and conversations with personalities are free to attend with an e-pass, provided you are 18 or over. The detailed schedule had not yet been published when this guide was written.

Pixidia tip: get ready to register from 26 October 2026. The e-pass and the access code arrive by email and are used in the Marrakech Festival App.

Between screenings, a private guided tour of the souks helps you find your way around the medina. From the medina, the Palais des Congrès is about 15 minutes away by taxi, according to Marrakech Cityguide.

Marrakech Shopping Tours: Private Souks Tour €39.38 per adult (based on 2 adults), checked on 21 October 2026 for the festival dates · ★ 4.96 (451 reviews)

Book my souks tour

Source: festival accreditations, 2026 rules and Le360 (in French, 19 October 2026), checked on 21 October 2026.

2. Jury, competition and Étoile d’Or

The 2026 jury is chaired by Marion Cotillard, the French actress and Oscar winner. The announcement was made on 13 October 2026, as the Moroccan press reported. The sources consulted do not publish the full list of the other jury members, so we name no one else.

The international competition brings together 14 films, first and second features, according to the 2026 rules. The top prize, the Étoile d’Or, is worth USD 50,000. Film submissions closed on 31 July 2026, and the official selection is due to be announced « early in November 2026 ». Until it is published, no title can be presented as selected.

The opening film, the closing film and the tributes had not been announced as of 21 October 2026. If a guide presents them as settled, check its publication date: it may be describing the 2025 edition.

The 2025 context, not to be confused with 2026

The 22nd edition ran from 28 November to 6 December 2025, under the presidency of Bong Joon-ho. Its opening film was Dead Man’s Wire, by Gus Van Sant, and its closing film Palestine 36, by Annemarie Jacir. Tributes were paid to Jodie Foster and Guillermo del Toro, and the selection included 82 films from 31 countries. This information describes the 2025 edition: it does not predict the 2026 programme.

Sources: Moroccan Cinema Centre (CCM), news item no. 2239; Le Matin, 2025 selection (in French). Checked on 21 October 2026.

3. The Ateliers de l’Atlas, the professional strand

Ateliers de l’Atlas 2026, ninth edition

22 to 26 November 2026 30 projects selected 14 countries represented Sponsor: Kleber Mendonça Filho

The Ateliers de l’Atlas, in their ninth edition, run from 22 to 26 November 2026. Their sponsor is the Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho. The press reports that 30 projects and films were selected from 410 applications, from 14 countries. Atlas Press, part of the same programme, runs from 23 to 27 November.

Atlas Station, for producers, selected 8 producers from 30 applications. Five Moroccan short films in post-production were chosen from 24 applications. These workshops are aimed at film professionals.

• 2026 sponsor: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazilian filmmaker.
• Atlas Station: 8 producers selected from 30 applications.
• Workshops: 30 projects selected from 410 applications, 14 countries.

Pixidia tip: these workshops do not give access to public screenings. If you are coming to see films, focus on the competition and on the screenings announced by the Foundation.

Source: Le360, 19 October 2026 (in French), which cites the Foundation’s press release. Checked on 21 October 2026.

4. Where to see the films: venues, open air and access

The festival is not limited to one venue. Three spaces come up in the sources: the Palais des Congrès, for the opening ceremony and the competition according to an unofficial source; the Le Colisée cinema, for retrospectives, also according to an unofficial source; and Jemaa el-Fna square, for open-air screenings according to the press. The sources consulted give no confirmation of these venues from the Foundation.

Palais des Congrès and Le Colisée

Hivernage and Guéliz Competition and retrospectives Talks and screenings

According to an unofficial source, Marrakech Cityguide, the Palais des Congrès hosts the opening ceremony, the competition and presentations in the Salle des Ministres. It sits at the western end of the Avenue de France, in the Hivernage district. According to the same guide, public access there is limited, but the red carpet can be seen from the street.

The Le Colisée cinema, on rue Prince Moulay Rachid in Guéliz, hosts retrospectives, according to the same unofficial source. Its role in the 2026 edition is therefore not confirmed by the Foundation: check before you travel.

• Palais des Congrès: opening ceremony and competition, according to an unofficial source.
• Le Colisée: retrospectives, according to an unofficial source.
• Indicative journeys: about 10 minutes by taxi from Guéliz, 15 minutes from the medina.

Pixidia tip: journey times depend on traffic and the time of day. Allow a margin before an opening screening, and check the exact address of the Palais des Congrès on the Foundation’s website.

Jemaa el-Fna square: open-air screenings, according to the press

Free according to the press Arrive an hour early Cool nights

According to Marrakech Cityguide and Riotimes, a giant screen set up on the Café Argana side is due to show films every evening of the festival, without booking and free of charge. Both sources give the same advice: arrive about an hour early to have a chance of a seat.

The official site could not be consulted for this section. Free entry and 2026 times are therefore not confirmed by the Foundation. According to the press, this format already existed during the 2022 and 2023 editions.

• Screen set up on the Café Argana side of the square.
• Access without booking, according to the press.
• 2026 times to be confirmed with the Foundation.

Pixidia tip: bring a warm layer for evening screenings. On average over 1991-2020, November nights drop to around 7.6 °C.

The venues at a glance

Source: Marrakech Cityguide and Riotimes (24 September 2026), checked on 21 October 2026. Unofficial sources: check them before your visit.

Cinema screenings: 2026 ticketing not yet published

The sources disagree on cinema screenings. Marrakech Cityguide mentions free screenings on booking, opening two to three weeks before the festival, with capacity that fills quickly. Riotimes, in an article dated 24 September 2026, describes paid screenings, « from 40 dirhams » at past editions, and notes that 2026 prices had not been published.

Without official information, the most reliable approach is this: the Foundation publishes the cinema ticketing details as the festival approaches. Check the official site before you travel. Do not build your budget on the 40 dirham figure, which comes from earlier editions.

5. Getting to Marrakech and getting around during the festival

Marrakech-Menara airport offers several ways into the city: a bus shuttle, small and large taxis, a private transfer with driver, car hire and parking, according to the airport’s guide. The airport page gives neither prices nor journey times.

Transfer prices are not reliably published. Confirm the price before you get into the vehicle.

Source: Marrakech-Menara airport for the options, checked on 21 October 2026.

The medina is not accessible by car. If you stay in a riad, ask your accommodation for the drop-off point and directions for the last stretch on foot. This matters most in the evening, when you head to Jemaa el-Fna square.

To get between the medina, Guéliz and Hivernage during the festival, a taxi is the simplest option. Marrakech Cityguide gives about 10 minutes between Guéliz and the Palais des Congrès, and 15 minutes from the medina. These times vary with traffic, and a last-minute booking can take longer late in the day.

If you want to add sightseeing before or after the screenings, see our best day trips from Marrakech. For journey times, the safest option is to check at the time of booking, in your usual transport app or with your accommodation.

6. E-pass and accreditations: who can register and when

The public e-pass is free and open to all. It gives access to the films and to conversations with personalities, and it is reserved for people aged 18 and over. Registration opens on 26 October 2026, for the public as well as for professionals. Once the registration is validated, the e-pass and the access code are sent by email. They then need to be used in the Marrakech Festival App.

For the press, registration closes on 31 October 2026. The official page gives no deadline for the public or for professionals: register as soon as it opens, on 26 October 2026.

Source: official accreditation page of the Marrakech International Film Festival, checked on 21 October 2026.

If an intermediary offers you a paid e-pass, go through the official page: that is where the free registration is described.

7. Budget: what is confirmed and what is not

Public access to the films is free thanks to the e-pass. The rest of the budget depends on items that have not all been published for 2026. The table below separates what has been verified from what still needs confirming.

Source: festival accreditations, Riotimes (24 September 2026), Viator availability and price checked on 21 October 2026.

The real budget therefore depends mostly on accommodation, meals and transport, for which no 2026 rate has been verified here. Two practical levers exist. First, Jemaa el-Fna square costs nothing according to the press, which keeps evenings inexpensive. Second, if the Foundation opens cinema ticketing, capacity fills quickly according to Marrakech Cityguide: it is best to book as soon as sales open.

8. A possible four-day plan

No screening schedule had been published as of 21 October 2026, so this plan does not set film times. It is there to organise your travel and the highlights of the stay.

Day one: arrive and get your bearings

To find the Palais des Congrès in Hivernage before the screening days, make the trip from your accommodation: allow about 10 minutes by taxi from Guéliz, according to Marrakech Cityguide, an indication that varies with traffic. Check that your e-pass registration was made from 26 October, and that the access code is saved in the app.

Day two: the medina, then the square

Book the souks tour for late morning, to discover the medina with a guide. In the evening, head to Jemaa el-Fna square. Arrive about an hour before the screenings are due to start, if the press has the organisation right, and dress warmly.

Day three: the cinemas

If cinema ticketing is open, book your screening as soon as possible: according to Marrakech Cityguide, capacity fills quickly. Allow travel time between Guéliz and Hivernage, which varies with traffic. A taxi remains the simplest way back late in the evening.

Day four: departure

Confirm the fare of your airport transfer before you leave. Ask your riad for the drop-off point nearest the medina, as vehicles do not enter it.

9. Depending on your profile

• With family. The e-pass is reserved for people aged 18 and over, so younger people cannot register themselves. Focus the family programme on the medina, on Jemaa el-Fna square in the early evening, and on taxi trips.
• As a couple. Free screenings on Jemaa el-Fna square, according to the press, make for an evening with no ticket cost. For the private souks tour, the checked price of €39.38 per adult is based on two adults.
• On a small budget. The e-pass is free, the square screenings are free according to the press, and cinema screenings remain to be confirmed. The items to compare are accommodation and transport.
• For a first visit. Prioritise the medina during the day and one evening screening, and keep a time margin for journeys, which vary by hour. To choose outings outside the medina, see our selection of experiences in Marrakech beyond the medina.
• For cinema professionals. Professional registration is open from 26 October. The Ateliers de l’Atlas, from 22 to 26 November, are the event to follow, alongside the official selection expected in early November.

10. Mistakes to avoid

• Mixing up the editions. The Bong Joon-ho jury, Dead Man’s Wire and Palestine 36 belong to the 2025 edition. They do not describe the 2026 festival.
• Confusing it with MARRAKECHsFF. That short film festival is separate and takes place in September.
• Taking the 40 dirham figure for a 2026 price. It comes from past editions, according to Riotimes.
• Relying on a third-party calendar for the dates. Some online listings give other dates: the official page and the 2026 rules do not confirm them.
• Looking for screening times in the press rather than with the Foundation. The programme and the ticketing will be published by the Foundation as the festival approaches.

What other guides don’t tell you

Several guides consulted leave out or misdate the following points. Each one points to an official source or to a precise consultation date.

• The public e-pass is free and opens on 26 October 2026. The accreditation page states it, whereas Riotimes refers to tickets going on sale « near the festival » without mentioning the e-pass (official accreditations, consulted on 21 October 2026).
• Press registration closes on 31 October 2026. This date is missing from the guides read (official accreditations, consulted on 21 October 2026).
• The Étoile d’Or is worth USD 50,000. The 2026 rules give the amount, which Riotimes and Mesloisirs do not mention (2026 rules, consulted on 21 October 2026).
• The 2026 jury is chaired by Marion Cotillard, announced on 13 October 2026. The Riotimes article of 24 September 2026 did not mention it yet (Le360 (in French), consulted on 21 October 2026).
• Film submissions closed on 31 July 2026, and the selection is expected in early November. Some online listings give 27 November to 5 December 2026: this date is contradicted by the rules and the official page (2026 rules, consulted on 21 October 2026).