Jenna Ortega is making history at the 22nd Marrakech International Film Festival as its youngest-ever jury member and says the responsibility does not scare her. The 23-year-old Wednesday star told Deadline she feels “not intimidated” sitting alongside seasoned filmmakers and actors and framed the role as a chance to champion films she cares about.
Ortega joins a main competition jury presided over by Parasite director Bong Joon Ho. She sits alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Past Lives writer-director Celine Song and Jodie Foster, forming a panel that bridges global art-house credibility with streaming-era stardom. The festival’s 22nd edition runs from November 28 to December 6 in Marrakech, with the jury tasked with awarding the Étoile d’Or to a rising filmmaker.
Asked how it feels to hold that position at her age, Ortega said she is “so overwhelmed with gratitude” that any sense of intimidation fades. Clips from the jury press conference show her stressing that she values being part of conversations with artists she admires rather than worrying about hierarchy.
Ortega has also used the festival platform to speak about artificial intelligence in film. At the same press event, she warned that “it’s very easy to be terrified” by AI’s “deep uncertainty” and argued that “a computer has no soul,” drawing a sharp line between algorithmic image-making and human performance. Her comments echo wider anxiety in the industry after last year’s Hollywood strikes, which put AI protections in contracts at the center of labor talks.
Away from the jury room, Ortega has quickly become one of Marrakech’s defining images. On opening night she walked the red carpet in a sculptural black Bevza look that matched the gothic style she has leaned into during the Wednesday era, posing alongside fellow juror Taylor-Joy and Bong. Fashion coverage has treated her appearance as a signal that the Moroccan festival is courting younger, global-facing audiences.
For Marrakech, bringing in Ortega caps a multi-year effort to raise its international profile, with recent juries led by Jessica Chastain and Luca Guadagnino before Bong took over this year. For Ortega, the invitation folds a new role into a schedule that already includes Wednesday season two and feature work, while giving her an early seat at the table where future festival favorites are chosen.
