MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — International movie stars arrive in Morocco on Friday to kick off one of the Arab world's largest film festivals amid a shadow cast by Israel’s latest war with Hamas and protests that have swept the region for almost two months. The Marrakech International Film Festival, along with Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival that is scheduled to open next week, are taking place despite war in Gaza. That’s in contrast to the Cairo International Film Festival and Tunisia’s Carthage Film Festival, both of which were canceled due to the war. Scorsese will preside over the festival's Atlas Workshops — an initiative designed to screen films or films in progress by emerging Arab and Moroccan filmmakers. The festival is scheduled to run through Dec. 2.

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Persons: Israel’s, Martin Scorsese, Richard Linklater, Jessica Chastain, Mads Mikkelsen, Prince Moulay Rachid, ”, Michel Franco's, Chastain, Matteo Garrone's, Mikkelsen, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Scorsese Organizations: —, Saudi, Cairo, Film Locations: MARRAKECH, Morocco, Marrakech, Gaza, Carthage, “, Moroccan