Marrakech Festival to Open With The Debut
The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival runs November 20-28 and will open with Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut, a gala screening out of competition.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Arthouse
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The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival will open with Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut, starring Julianne Moore as a shy housewife cast in a community theater musical. The festival runs November 20-28, and Luca Guadagnino's Artificial will receive its regional premiere during the event.
Why it matters
The opening selection sets the festival's program and gives international arthouse audiences an early look at several high-profile titles. Artificial, which traces the rise of OpenAI founder Sam Altman with Andrew Garfield in the role, adds a timely subject to the lineup.
The festival's 23rd edition runs November 20-28, making it the event's 23rd annual run. The extraction does not provide box office, ticket sales, or viewership figures for the announced titles.
The players
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg is an American actor and writer known for his work in films including The Social Network, and he directed and stars in The Debut.
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an Academy Award-winning American actress who stars in The Debut as a shy housewife cast in a community theater musical.
James Gray
James Gray is an American filmmaker known for dramas including Ad Astra and The Lost City of Z, and he returns to the festival with Paper Tiger.
The details
Jesse Eisenberg and Julianne Moore are expected to attend the opening gala for The Debut. Other gala world premieres include Leila et la nuit and His Weakest Creatures, and James Gray returns to the festival with Paper Tiger, starring Adam Driver and Miles Teller.
Timeline
The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival runs November 20-28, with the opening gala set for November 20.
Industry Dynamics
The festival's opening gala and regional premieres follow the established pattern of international film festivals using high-profile titles to anchor their programs. Artificial's inclusion reflects a continued trend of arthouse and studio-adjacent films addressing technology and its founders.
Viewers attending the festival can see The Debut at its opening gala on November 20 and the regional premiere of Artificial during the November 20-28 run. The extraction does not specify ticketing or streaming availability for audiences outside the event.
The takeaway
Festival opening slates signal which titles international distributors and audiences will watch most closely in the coming season. Readers interested in arthouse cinema can track the Marrakech lineup as the November 20-28 run approaches.
What happens next
The festival runs through November 28, with the opening gala on November 20 and the remainder of the program screening over the following week.
Further reading
Explore more on Arthouse films and festival programming.
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