Serbian director Kusturica to head jury of Marrakesh festival

Serbian film director Emir Kusturica will be the next president of the Marrakesh International Film Festival, in the south of Morocco, organisers said.

Mr Kusturica, renowned for feature films such as Underground (1995) and Arizona Dream (1993), which marked his US debut, has also made documentaries such as Maradona in 2008. He twice won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, for When Father Was Away on Business (1985) and Underground.

He will be taking over the chair at Marrakesh from American actor and film-maker John Malkovich.

In 2009, the Marrakesh Film Festival paid tribute to Mr Kusturica, who will preside over its 11th edition between December 2 to 10. This year’s festival will render homage to Mexican cinema, organisers said.

The Gold Star, or main prize, of the 2010 edition of the festival was awarded to The Journals of Musan by South Korean director Park Jungbun.