The new President of the Cannes Film Festival, Iris Knobloch, and her General Delegate Thierry Frémaux announced on Thursday the selection of the 76th edition of the largest film festival. A tighter edition and even more cosmopolitan, with more and more countries represented.
Former Warner Bros France director Iris Knobloch took office as President of the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday April 13, succeeding Pierre Lescure to announce the selection of the 76e Edition that will take place from May 16th to 27th. At his side, the General Delegate of the Festival, Thierry Frémaux, has listed the 19 films currently in competition, including three French works and two others that will be unveiled shortly.
Even if more and more films are co-produced, more and more countries will be represented at Cannes, if only by the nationality of their directors. There is some frustration left at the bottom of this list, very little information about the films, especially for the newcomers to Cannes, with their cast at best if they are prestigious, and at least a synopsis. The fact remains that the trend towards opening up to cinemas around the world has continued to expand this year.
A contemporary United States, a prosperous Italy, and a feminine France
The United States confirms its comeback, which began last year after avoiding the festival, with two films, asteroid CIty by Wes Anderson and May December by Todd Haynes. And maybe a third Killer of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, out of competition today but for which the festival is awaiting a possible green light from Paramount, the producer, to run it. The United States would then be on par with Italy, very present with three films by regulars on the Croisette: Il Sol dell’avvenire (Towards a bright future) by Nanni Moretti, The Chimera Alice Rohrwacher, et kidnapped (The abduction) by Marco Bellochio.
France currently has three films in the running, two of which have been signed by women directors. Catherine Breillat, who had decided to stop filming, was called back to direct by her producer Saïd Ben Saïd Last summer with Léa Drucker, Olivier Rabourdin and Clotilde Courau. Justine Triet will present Anatomy of a fall, with Sandra Huller, Samuel Theis and Swann Arlaud. Eventually (for now) Trần Anh Hùng will climb the steps with me The passion of Dodin Bouffantabout the gastronomy of the 19th century.
cosmopolitan competition
No fewer than thirteen countries will present their cinema’s flagship in this 76th edition. With a notable newcomer, Mongolia making its debut on the Croisette in the Un Certain Regard section Hoppeles, the directorial debut of Kim Chang-hoon. The African continent will be represented with no fewer than six films in the various sections, including Panel and Adama by Ramata Toulaye mother (sibel), French of Senegalese parents, about a passion inhibited by conventions.
Tunisia, which is rarely represented in Cannes, will be in Cannes with Tunisian documentary filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania colorizing her this time Daughters of Olfa. Turkey sees the return of regular Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the 2014 Palme d’Or hibernationwho will present Dried herbsabout a young teacher stuck in a town in Anatolia and revived by a colleague. fire blight by Karim Aïnouz will represent Brazil, a historical film about Catherine Parr, one of the few wives of Henry VIII to survive there.
A Nordic Europe
In the far north, Finland is making a comeback with Aki Kaurismäki, which we’ll see The Dead Leavesabout the indigenous peoples of Lapland, after his 2002 Grand Prix for The man with no past.
The German Wim Wenders is also returning to Cannes perfect days, about an employee working in a public toilet in Tokyo. Wenders also has a special screening film, The Sound of TimeDocumentary film about the contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer, a specialist in excess, steel, lead and concrete.
Britain sees Ken Loach’s consistency on the Croisette the old oak, about the arrival of Syrian refugees in a city that will upset habits. The second British film is Jonathan Glazer’s Zone of Interest, about the complicated love between a Nazi officer and a kapo’s wife.
A certain gaze looks elsewhere
Cosmopolitanism is most noticeable in the “Uncertain Consideration” section. Apart from the Mongolian film Hopeless already mentioned Morocco will present The packs from Kamal Lazraq, a thriller set in the popular suburbs of Casablanca. Iran, which hasn’t come to Cannes lately, is officially represented by the mysterious Earthly Verses by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami, none of which have been leaked yet.
Sudan will be present in a first film directed by Mohamed Kordofani, Goodbye Julia, about one man’s search for redemption in the context of the divide between the North and South of the country. Rapper Baloji Tshiani will represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo augurabout a magician banished by his mother who returns to Lubumbashi after fifteen years to redeem himself.
Argentina will be represented in South America The criminals by Rodrigo Moreno and Chile from the first film by Felipe Galvez, The settlers on tribal extermination attempts in Chilean Patagonia.
Singaporean cinema, which has rarely appeared in Cannes, will see the presence of director Anthony Chen The breaking ice evoking the friendship between three young adults in their twenties. Rarely in Cannes is Australia represented by Aborigine Warwick Thornton The new boywhere a young local will upset the precarious balance of an isolated convent run by a renegade nun.
