CANNES, France 鈥 The Cannes Film Festival commences Tuesday with its annual quest for the Palme d鈥橭r, the coveted golden prize awarded to a favourite film at the close of this glittering celebration of cinema.
The 77th edition of the fest, running for 12 days along the majestic French Riviera waterfront, could also lead to eventual Oscar gold for its films, more so than ever before 鈥 and with good reason.
Last year鈥檚 76th edition was 鈥渁n exceptional year, an exceptional vintage,鈥 said Cannes president Iris Knobloch, in which nine films from the Cannes Official Selection amassed 26 Oscar nominations, with three wins.
The 10 Best Picture nominees included three films from Cannes 鈥 Martin Scorsese鈥檚 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥 Justine Triet鈥檚 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥 and Jonathan Glazer鈥檚 鈥淭he Zone of Interest鈥 鈥 clear indication of the increasing impact this European festival is having on Hollywood鈥檚 Academy Awards.
鈥淭his year again the festival confirms its unique capacity to find the best films 鈥 We fly them to the moon!鈥 Knobloch said recently, as she and festival director Thierry Fr茅maux unveiled the 2024 offerings.
The festival will begin with a salute to Meryl Streep, the most nominated actress in Oscar history with 21 nods (and three wins). She鈥檒l receive an honorary Palme d鈥橭r at the opening ceremonies Tuesday night, before the world premiere screening at the Palais des Festivals of Quentin Dupieux鈥檚 road comedy 鈥淭he Second Act,鈥 starring L茅a Seydoux, Vincent Lindon and Louis Garrel. It鈥檚 Streep鈥檚 second appearance at Cannes; her only other visit was in 1989 when she won best actress playing a mom accused of murder in 鈥淎 Cry in the Dark.鈥
Another Hollywood icon, 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 creator George Lucas, will receive an honorary Palme d鈥橭r at festival鈥檚 end on May 25.
The nine-member international jury that will award the Palme and other prizes to the 22 films in the official competition is headed by Greta Gerwig, the director and co-writer of 鈥淏arbie,鈥 one of the most successful movies of recent years. Another notable juror is Lily Gladstone, a best actress nominee for her performance in 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon.鈥
The 22 films in the Palme competition include new works from such globally renowned auteurs as Francis Ford Coppola (鈥淢egalopolis鈥), Yorgos Lanthimos (鈥淜inds of Kindness鈥), Andrea Arnold (鈥淏ird鈥) and Canada鈥檚 David Cronenberg (鈥淭he Shrouds鈥), who is making his seventh bid for the golden prize.
The 海角社区官网filmmaker鈥檚 graveyard-centred thriller of grief, intrigue and sexual politics, starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce, is one of two Canadian films competing for the feature film Palme, a prize Canada has never won.
Sebastian Stan, right, stars as Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as his lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn in Ali Abassi鈥檚 鈥淭he Apprentice,鈥 one of 22 films competing for the Palme d鈥橭r at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.聽
Courtesy Cannes Film FestivalThe other is Ali Abassi鈥檚 鈥淭he Apprentice,鈥 a Canada/Ireland/Denmark co-production, shot in Ontario, that is already causing a stir. Described as 鈥渁 dive into the underbelly of the American empire,鈥 it tells the story of Donald Trump鈥檚 early days as a real estate hustler in the New York City of the 1970 and 鈥80s, when the young future U.S. president was wheeling and dealing alongside his mentor Roy Cohn, a right-wing lawyer.
Sebastian Stan plays Trump and Jeremy Strong of TV鈥檚 鈥淪uccession鈥 plays Cohn, in a film that will premiere while Trump is on trial in New York for allegedly contravening U.S. presidential election laws by paying hush money to adult entertainment star Stormy Daniels.
Canada is also in the running for the short film Palme d鈥橭r, a prize the country hasn鈥檛 won since 1999, when Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby triumphed with 鈥淲hen the Day Breaks,鈥 their animated barnyard contemplation of mortality.
Alison McAlpine鈥檚 short film Palme contender, 鈥減erfectly a strangeness,鈥 also has animals in starring roles. It鈥檚 a wordless live-action meditation in which three donkeys explore the grounds of an observatory in Chile鈥檚 Atacama Desert, where the Montreal filmmaker shot her award-winning 2017 night sky rumination 鈥淐ielo.鈥
This will be McAlpine鈥檚 first trek to the Cannes fest and she鈥檚 over the moon about it.
鈥淚t was so unexpected to receive a call from France and be told 鈥榩erfectly a strangeness鈥 had been selected,” she said via email.
鈥淚t feels dreamlike and a tremendous honour. The process of making this film has been wildly challenging and rewarding. I can鈥檛 wait to share the film with an audience in such a prestigious festival!鈥
There鈥檚 a big Canuck presence outside of the Palme competitions.
Winnipeg-born director Guy Maddin will make his Cannes feature debut with the political satire 鈥淩umours,鈥 an out-of-competition premiere he co-directed with his frequent collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson. It stars Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Roy Dupuis in the sure-to-be-surreal story of a group of world leaders who become stranded in a forest during a G7 summit.
Winnipeg filmmaker Matthew Rankin鈥檚 鈥淯niversal Language,鈥 described as a 鈥渟urreal comedy of disorientation鈥 set 鈥渟omewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg,鈥 premieres in the Directors鈥 Fortnight program at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.聽
Courtesy Cannes Film Festival惭补诲诲颈苍鈥檚 fellow Winnipegger, Matthew Rankin (鈥淭he Twentieth Century鈥), has a film, 鈥淯niversal Language,鈥 premiering in the auteur-oriented Directors鈥 Fortnight program. It鈥檚 described as a 鈥渟urreal comedy of disorientation鈥 set 鈥渟omewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg.鈥
There鈥檚 even more Cancon at Cannes 2024: 鈥淭elos I鈥 by Emil Dam Seidel and Dorotea Saykaly and 鈥淭he Roaming鈥 by Mathieu Pradat are in the festival鈥檚 new immersive competition; and the graveyard disappearance drama 鈥淎lazar,鈥 an Ethiopia/France/Canada co-production by Beza Hailu Lemma, will compete for short film honours in the Critics鈥 Week sidebar program.
It鈥檚 the largest Canadian presence at Cannes in the last 12 years, according to Telefilm Canada, with more than 300 Canadians from across the country expected to attend.
“Canadian talent shines brightly at Cannes,” said Julie Roy, Telefilm鈥檚 executive director and CEO. “This year’s outstanding representation reflects the artistic excellence of a variety of talents, from the most experienced to the emerging, and the incredible diversity of the stories they tell us, in all their forms.鈥
U.S. filmmaker Paul Schrader reunites with his 鈥淎merican Gigolo鈥 star, Richard Gere, for the Palme competition drama 鈥淥h, Canada,鈥 which has the country in its title and location but not necessarily on its mind. Gere stars alongside Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli and Kristine Froseth in a story of an American leftist/documentary filmmaker who fled to this country to avoid the Vietnam War draft. On his deathbed in Montreal, he鈥檚 eager to confess his secrets and lies to a documentary crew. The story is based on a 2021 novel by the late Russell Banks.
The films with the most buzz going into Cannes are both blockbusters.
On Wednesday night, Aussie filmmaker George Miller premieres 鈥淔uriosa: A Mad Max Saga,鈥 a much-anticipated prequel to his 鈥淢ad Max: Fury Road鈥 postapocalyptic adventure. 鈥淔uriosa鈥 stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the role of a desert warrior originally played by Charlize Theron in 鈥淔ury Road.鈥
鈥淢egalopolis,鈥 the new Francis Ford Coppola film premiering in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, stars Adam Driver (with Nathalie Emmanuel) as an聽architect聽obsessed with rebuilding New York City following a cataclysmic event.
Courtesy Cannes Film FestivalFriday鈥檚 big premiere is 鈥淢egalopolis,鈥 a self-funded $120-million (U.S.) dystopian sci-fi epic by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Adam Driver as an architect obsessed with rebuilding New York City following a cataclysmic event.
It鈥檚 the first feature in 13 years from the 85-year-old Coppola, who has won the Palme twice in his legendary career: for 鈥淭he Conversation鈥 in 1974 and 鈥淎pocalypse Now鈥 in 1979.
Coppola led the competition jury in 1996 that gave Cronenberg鈥檚 first Palme contender, 鈥淐rash,鈥 a shocker about sex and car wrecks, a special jury prize for 鈥渁udacity.鈥
Perhaps it鈥檚 a good omen for Cronenberg that the two filmmaking legends are back on the Croisette again after all these years.
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