Robert Redford will receive a career tribute during the 18th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival.
The Marrakech festival will take place Nov. 29 to Dec. 7. As previously announced, Tilda Swinton to preside over the jury.
Redford, one of the leading figures of contemporary cinema, said it was “a great honor to be invited to Marrakech,
to meet creators and artists who will share with each other their unique voices and points of view.”
“I extend my thanks to the Marrakech International Film Festival for this generous invitation,” said Redford in a statement.
The tribute will pay homage to Redford’s career as a director, producer, actor, activist and founder of the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Festival, which is the world’s first festival to be entirely dedicated to independent cinema.
Redford initially rose to fame as an actor. He landed his first Broadway starring role in “Sunday in New York,” and broke through with his performance in “Barefoot in the Park” which earned him praise from critics and the public alike. In 1969, Robert Redford and Paul Newman teamed to star in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” which became an instant classic and established Redford as one of Hollywood industry’s top leading men.
Some of Redford’s best known films also include “The Sting” which won seven Oscars and earned him a Best Actor nomination. Robert Redford went on to work with Sydney Pollack (on seven films), Arthur Penn, Alan J. Pakula, Richard Attenborough, Barry Levinson, among others.
Redford also has his own production company, Wildwood Enterprises, whose credits include “Downhill Racer”, “The Candidate”, “The Electric Horseman”, and “All the President’s Men” in which he starred.
Redford’s directing career has proven equally successful. His directorial debut, “Ordinary People,” won him the DGA Award, the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Director. His other directorial efforts include “The Milagro Beanfield War,” “A River Runs Through It,” “Quiz Show” and “The Horse Whisperer”.
Redford has also received the Screen Actors Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, an honorary Academy Award®, the Kennedy Center Honors, an honorary César award, as well as the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest recognition.
Aside from his acting and filmmaking career, Redford has also been prominent environmentalist and activist since the early 1970s and has served for almost 40 years as a Trustee on the Board the Natural Resources Defense Council. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2016.
Last year’s prestigious guests at the Marrakech festival included Martin Scorsese, Robert de Niro, the late Agnes Varda and Guillermo Del Toro.