The Lebanese film "Kteer Kbeer" (Very Big Shot) won the the top award at the 15th Marrakech International Film Festival, which took place Dec. 4-12.
The critically acclaimed and commercially successful film was directed and co-written by Lebanese director Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, who claimed the Golden Star award, beating 14 other films from around the world nominated in the feature film category.
The festival's jury was presided over by prominent American director Francis Ford Coppola and also included Japanese director Naomi Kawase, Dutch director Anton Corbijn, French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila and Moroccan actress Amal Ayouch.
"Very Big Shot" which is Chaaya's first feature film, is a black comedy about three brothers who run a successful drug-dealing business in Beirut and decide to quit their less than legal occupation, but are forced to do one last smuggling job by their powerful drug lord which they sense is a setup.
After they find out that cans of exposed film reels don't undergo X-ray scanning at the Beirut airport because radiation can wipe out the footage, they decide that making a film will be their smuggling plan of choice.
The film follows the enigmatic characters as they attempt to go through with it, while at the same time covering up the fact they're sending the shipment to a different location without letting their boss know.
The satirical film, which was screened at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, is infused with clever social commentary about various issues in Lebanon, ranging from politics to society to the Lebanese film industry.
The Marrakech International Film Festival was founded in 2001. It is one of the most intercultural international cinematic events, known for bringing together prominent filmmakers and films from all over the world, as well as for its role in recognizing and promoting Moroccan cinema.
In celebration of the art of cinema, this year's edition saw the jury astonishingly award all of the films taking part in the official competition other than "Very Big Shot" with a jury prize, for the first time in the festival's history.