Speaking at a press conference during the festival’s 21st edition, Penn praised the event’s impressive growth and its global reputation, emphasizing that the quality of films showcased underscores its stature in the international film community.

The American artist also welcomed the vibrant tribute paid to him by the Festival, highlighting Morocco as a destination he had long wished to discover. 

In this respect, he welcomed the opportunity to meet, during the Festival, international filmmakers and actors whom he deeply admires and with whom he has been able to forge genuine relationships, praising the perfect organization of this global event.

The American icon also expressed his admiration for the documentary film “The Mother of All Lies” by Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir, which won the Golden Star at the 20th Marrakech International Film Festival, noting that “this is a remarkable and carefully crafted work, both historically and cinematically.”

Speaking on streaming platforms, Sean Penn said that, while they made films more accessible, they reduced the presence of foreign films in cinemas, mainly in the U.S..

Delving on the lessons he has learned from his rich artistic career, he said that “the best lesson I've learned is to never stop learning. You mustn't be content with past experience, but continue to evolve, to surpass yourself and to always start from scratch.”  

The Marrakech International Film Festival on Saturday paid a vibrant tribute to Hollywood icon Sean Penn, awarding him the emblematic Golden Star from the hands of Italian actress Valeria Golino. 

Two-time Oscar-winning actor, filmmaker and author Sean Penn has become an American icon through a career spanning more than forty years. He has been nominated five times for the Best Actor Oscar, for “The Last March” (Tim Robbins, 1995), “Sweet and Lowdown” (Woody Allen, 2000), “I am Sam” (Jessie Nelson, 2002), before his striking performance in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River earned him his first Best Actor Oscar in 2003, followed by another for Gus Van Sant's “Milk” in 2009.

Alongside his acting career, Sean Penn is also an acclaimed filmmaker whose filmography includes the Oscar-nominated “Into the Wild”, “Flag Day”, “The Pledge”, “The Crossing Guard and his first film, “The Indian Runner.”