Sean Penn arrived at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival to receive a prestigious tribute, bringing with him a characteristically unfiltered perspective on the film industry, global politics, and the looming presence of artificial intelligence. Speaking candidly to an international press corps on Tuesday, the two-time Oscar-winning actor (“Mystic River,” “Milk”) and director (“Flag Day,” “Into the Wild”), offered insights that blend his trademark social activism with a nuanced view of contemporary challenges.
Receiving a festival tribute, Penn was characteristically self-deprecating. “Anytime one is coming to be flattered, it’s horrifying,” he quipped.
He acknowledged instead the festival’s growing global presence. “This festival has been, over the years, making its prestige known and its reputation has been louder and louder around the world,” he added.
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The actor, known for his politically charged work and humanitarian efforts, spoke passionately about the current state of cinema and global politics. On the film industry, he was particularly critical of mainstream award shows and distribution models. “The awards are as important as those films that are great. The rest is nonsense,” he declared, criticizing the Academy for what he sees as a limited cultural imagination.
He added, “The American awards, the major awards, are television programs first. The producers of them, the Academy, have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the bigger world of expression, and, in fact, have largely been part of limiting the imagination and being very limiting of different cultural expressions. I get very excited about what we’ll call the Academy Awards when a film like ‘The Florida Project’ graces it or ‘I’m Still Here.’”
Penn’s approach to choosing film projects remains as selective as ever. “I gotta love something in the first ten pages,” he explained about choosing roles, “and it’s about the director first.” This approach has defined a career that spans iconic films like “Dead Man Walking,” “Mystic River,” and “Milk,” for which he won his second Academy Award.
His most recent work includes continued activism, particularly surrounding the conflict in Ukraine. At the press conference, he spoke about peace in subtle but pointed terms, stating bluntly about the current geopolitical situation: “Peace means what Ukraine says it means.” He expressed deep concern about global political developments, particularly the relationship between certain world leaders.
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On the technological horizon, Penn offered a surprisingly philosophical take on artificial intelligence. “If the basic nature of humankind isn’t good, we’re all effed anyway,” he said, suggesting that AI might ultimately recognize the need to protect humanity. He imagines a scenario where AI could potentially “recognize out of its data-driven better nature the necessity for its own suicide”— a characteristically provocative Penn perspective.
The actor continues to balance his work between filmmaking and humanitarian efforts. His documentary work, including a recent project about Ukrainian refugees in Poland, reflects his ongoing commitment to social issues. “Poland, the government and the people opened their hearts and doors,” he noted about his recent collaborative work.
Reflecting on his craft, Penn emphasized the importance of continuous learning. “You never stop learning,” he said. “Some of these are perishable skills. You really have to… have a center available to connect with what choices you’re making as an actor.”
His admiration for certain directors remains strong. He spoke warmly about working with Paolo Sorrentino, saying he would work with the Italian filmmaker “in a heartbeat,” describing him as “a magical, wonderfully talented and wonderful guy.”
Penn is critical of current film distribution models, lamenting the dominance of spectacle over substance. He also observed that he’s become one of those people who “don’t go to the movies anymore.”
Upcoming projects remain somewhat mysterious, though his production company continues to support smaller, more challenging films. He recently helped bring the German film “September 5th” to fruition, drawn by its unique perspective on historical events at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Self-effacing but deeply passionate, Penn remains a complex figure in Hollywood. As he put it earlier in the press conference, he considers himself “a patriot in crisis”— a description that could apply equally to his approach to filmmaking and global citizenship.
The Marrakech Film Festival tribute serves as a timely recognition of a career that has consistently challenged, provoked, and illuminated. But he’s got a lot more out of being here than an award.
“You come here, and you find yourself being as much of a fan as a focus and being able to spend time meeting some of these directors and actors that I’m a big fan of,” he said. “They do it really well here. And also this festival has enough of an intimacy where you’re really getting to, even in a short amount of days, exchange with great film people. Partly because of the way it’s curated. The people and films that are selected here carry a lot of weight.”