Cannes Line Up
by Nathaniel R
The Cannes lineup was announced very early this morning (time differences, don'cha know) and we're here to give you details, not just film titles. While TFE doesn't attend ($) we do follow from afar and hope to make the trek some day. The 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival runs May 17th through May 28th.
OPENING NIGHT
Which is a high profile gig but also risky as the knives are often out for a sacrifice to the festival gods to launch the cinextravaganza.
Ismael’s Ghosts (Arnaud Desplechin)
French auteur Desplechin's latest will be released in the US by Magnolia. It stars French A-Listers Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mathieu Amalric, and Louis Garrel and revolves around a filmmaker (Amalric) working on a new picture when his long dead lover Carlotta (Cotillard) returns to life sending his life into a tailspin. If you've never seen Desplechin classics Kings and Queen (2004) and A Christmas Tale (2008) get right to that!
THE COMPETITION LINEUP...
From whence lots of silly Oscar buzz shall emerge. Silly in that the concerns of Cannes and Oscar are quite different and the overlap is notsomuch. These are the films that President of the Jury Pedro Almodóvar and his jury (yet TBA) shall pull from for the Palme d'Or and the acting prizes and such. But, please note: usually the first announcement is not the complete list as another title or three will slip in last minute before the festival.
120 Beats per Minute (Robin Campillo)
A French film from the director of Eastern Boys
The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola)
Coppola's remake of the Clint Eastwood/Geraldine Page Civil War era psychosexual drama from 1971.
The Day After (Hong Sangsoo)
The prolific South Korean director returns with new muse Kim Min-Hee (The Handmaiden) in front of the camera again
A Gentle Creature (Sergei Loznitsa)
From the Russian director of the memorable and brutal My Joy (2010)
Good Time (Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie)
This is an American indie from the Safdie brothers (Heaven Knows What) about a bank robber starring Robert Pattinson
Happy End (Michael Haneke)
The Austrian master (Amour, Caché, The White Ribbon) returns with this story set against the backdrop of the European refugee crisis. Isabelle Huppert stars
In the Fade (Fatih Akin)
A revenge picture set within the German-Turkish community from the director of Head-On and Soul Kitchen. Diane Kruger and Numan Acar, both pictured with Akin above, headline.
Jupiter’s Moon (Kornél Mundruczó)
A Hungarian picture from the director of the celebrated allegorical drama White Dog
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos)
The latest from The Lobster and Dogtooth auteur. Like The Beguiled, this one stars both Colin Farrel and Nicole Kidman
L’amant double (François Ozon)
Hot on the heels of his wonderfully elegant Frantz (now playing) the French auteur's new drama stars Jacqueline Bissett and two Ozon alums Marine Vacth and Jeremie Renier
Le redoubtable (Michel Hazanvicius)
The director of The Artist returns with a biographical French film about Jean-Luc Godard (played by Louis Garrel) marrying a 17 year old actress Anne Wlazemsky (Stacy Martin from Nymphomania)
Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
The Russian director of Oscar nominee Leviathan returns with this story about a divorcing couple whose son disappears
The Meyerowitz Stories (Noah Baumbach)
We just talked about this one. Netflix plans to release it in theaters... but what's the window like before its streaming?
Okja (Bong Joon-Ho)
Another one going to Netflix. Starts streaming in late June
Radiance (Naomi Kawase)
This rising Japanese director's latest is a romantic drama about a photographer (Masatoshi Nagase) and a woman who has grown disconnected from the world (Ayame Misaki).
Rodin (Jacques Doillon)
A French film from the director of Ponette . And yes it's a biopic of the great sculptor. Cannes winning actor Vincent Lindon plays Rodin.
Wonderstruck (Todd Haynes)
Haynes's adaptation of celebration children's author Brian Selznick's (who also wrote The Invention of Hugo Cabret) book of the same name tells two stories simultaneously about a young boy in the Midwest and a young girl from 50 years earlier in New York. Julianne Moore plays two roles but the leads are children Ben (Oakes Fegley from Pete's Dragon) and Rose (newcomer Millicent Simmonds)
You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay)
Ramsay's first feature since We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011). This one is the story of a vet trying to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola, and Ekaterina Samsonov. NOTE: this film is not actually finished. Will Ramsay make her deadline?
UN CERTAIN REGARD
The lineup that will prompt the most "why wasn't this in the main competition?!?" grousing from critics. Though this is secondary, in "weak" years (the strength of the festival always judged on the main lineup) people will nearly always say that this line-up is better.
Barbara (Mathieu Amalric). OPENER
France. Amalric is having another big Cannes as both actor and director
After the War (Annarita Zambrano)
Italy
April’s Daughter (Michel Franco)
Mexico. From the director of Daniel & Ana and After Lucia.
Beauty and the Dogs (Kaouther Ben Hania)
A relatively new Tunisian director
Before We Vanish (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
A Japanese picture about aliens scouting earth to prepare for a mass invasion of human possession.
Closeness (Kantemir Balagov)
???
The Desert Bride (Cecilia Atan & Valeria Pivato)
Argentina
Directions (Stephan Komandarev)
Bulgaria
Dregs (Mohammad Rasoulof).
Iran
Jeune femme (Léonor Serraille)
France
L’Atelier (Laurent Cantet)
France
Lucky (Sergio Castellitto)
From the Italian actor turned director Castellito. This drama is about a struggling single mother (Jasmine Trinca, pictured above) trying to open a hair salon.
The Nature of Time (Karim Moussaoui)
???
Out (Gyorgy Kristof)
A Slovakian picture about a 50 year old man wandering East Europe
Western (Valeska Grisebach)
Germany
Wind River (Taylor Sheridan)
FBI related thriller from the celebrated writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water, stepping up to the director's chair. The film stars Elizabeth Olsen, Jon Bernthal, and Jeremy Renner and opens August 4th stateside.
OUT OF COMPETITION
Blade of the Immortal (Takashi Miike)
The ever prolific and insane Miike returns with a revenge picture about a girl enlisting an immortal to fight against the villains who slaughtered her family
How to Talk to Girls at Parties (John Cameron Mitchell)
So happy to hear this is finally finished. It's been so quiet. The non-prolific Mitchell has never made less than an exciting movie. This story about two boys who meet otherworldy girls at a party in the 1970s began as a Neil Gaiman short story, then it became a graphic novel. And now it's a movie. Nicole Kidman has a glorious punk haired cameo (at least) but Elle Fanning and Alex Sharp are the leads.
Visages, Villages (Agnès Varda & JR)
A new documentary from the New Wave goddess.
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
Prayer Before Dawn (Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire)
The true story of Billy Moore (Joe Cole from Peaky Blinders) who survived prison by becoming a Muay Thai boxer. A24 will distribute in the US
The Merciless (Byun Sung-Hyun)
The Villainess (Jung Byung-Gil)
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
12 Jours (Raymond Depardon)
French documentary
An Inconvenient Sequel (Bonni Cohen & Jon Shenk)
Clair’s Camera (Hong Sangsoo)
Hong Sangsoo has two new pictures. This one stars Isabelle Huppert and Kim Min-Hee
Demons in Paradise (Jude Ratman)
???
Napalm (Claude Lanzmann)
The director of Shoah is back?!?
Promised Land (Eugene Jarecki)
The fine documentary filmmaker behind Why We Fight, The House I Live In, and Freakonomics
Sea Sorrow (Vanessa Redgrave)
Wait, what? Vanessa Redgrave as a director!?
They (Anahita Ghazvinizadeh)
Iran
70TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
Come Swim (Kristen Stewart)
Top of the Lake (Jane Campion)
Episodes of the new season
Twin Peaks (David Lynch)
Two episodes of the new season
VIRTUAL REALITY
This is a short film
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Jury President (Competition): Pedro Almodóvar
Mistress of Ceremonies: Monica Bellucci
Jury President (Cinedonation / Short Films): Cristian Mungiu
Jury President (Camera d'Or): Sandrine Kiberlain
Reader Comments (33)
Wow. Living for the Nicole Kidman ubiquity here!
OK, I'm officially worried. You can't get a Pffeifersance and a Kidmania in one season. This means the Swank wins her third next year.
Queen Nicole continuing her reign this year. Hopefully it pans out better than Grace of Monaco!
This is probably last-chance saloon already for Hazanvicius - has an Oscar-winning director ever seen their stock fall so quickly? Michael Cimino is the only other one that springs to mind.
And what will be this year's universally derided film, following The Sea of Trees and The Last Face in recent years?
Nic is REPRESENTING. Lol. I'm looking forward to all the fashion she's going to give us.
Jury – Kidman's overdue Actress prize is necessary this year. Please secure her one regardless of the competition.
When was the last time a single actor had FOUR projects at Cannes?! I've seen a lot of actors come with up to three, but four throughout (with two in competition) feels like quite the achievement lol. Thierry Fremaux is such a Kidman stan, bless him. Between her Oscar nom, Big Little Lies and this, Kidman is slaying. Go girl!
"French auteur Desplechin's latest will be released in the US by Magnolia. It stars French A-Listers Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mathieu Amalric"
JUST PLUG IT INTO MY VEEIINNNSSSSSSSSSS
because people always assume an internationally famous actress will win Best Actress and they often don't... i'm gonna wildly guess that Ayame Misaki takes it this year for RADIANCE.
Both Colin Farrell and Elle Fanning have 2 movies in the lineup which they co-starred with Nicole. Ubiquitous group!
Adam Sandler for Best Actor?
They seem to love South Korean Cinema. Can't wait for Okja.
Dear Pedro Almodóvar, you hace two missions this year. Give Todd Haynes' "Wonderstruck" the Palme d'Or and Nicole Kidman the best actress prize. Thank you.
Yeah, Marion Cotillard said in an interview a few years ago (I think the year of Rust and Bone in 2012) that it didn't surprise her she lost best actress at Cannes since the French like to reward the "undergod'....
...hence why megastars like her, Cate Blanchett, and Nicole Kidman are passed over even though being supremely deserving.
Whoops, meant to say *underdog
3 Kidmans, 3 top directors, I'm hoping for total critical acclaim and another Supporting nod come Oscar season.
O my God...Kidman for Best Actress yasss...Hope Ismael's Ghost turns out to really good... Cotillard had lackluster year in 2016. Considered the Jury is Almodovar, hopefully the choices of winner are more diversed unlike last year................
Still can't beat 2012 and 2016 lineup though...but who know
Hopefully Happy End brought Queen Isabelle her very much deserved Oscar... She, Bening, Dern and Chastain more overdue for oscar than Amy Adams
She'll have Julianne's record with supporting actress nod two.
3 Kidmans, 3 top directors, I'm hoping for total critical acclaim and another Supporting nod come Oscar season.
I'm down with Nicole, Cate, and Amy Adams inheriting Meryl's Oscar perennial status...they can take turns so they (and we) don't get too exhausted.
Charlie:
This year's Sea Of Tree or The Last Face will be
The Beguiled - I'm certain of it!
very excited for
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and
You Were Never Really Here.
Sad that Joachim Trier will not be there with Thelma!
I don't know if it's because the movie's not done,
or because the movie's been deemed not good enough.
/3rtful -- why not just go for LEAD ACTRESS ;)
stritch -- it would be fine if ANYONE was handed Meryl's Perennial status provided they had to share it. I don't think it's right, whoever you are to be nominated for every year in which you deign to work. It makes the nominations seem rote rather than earned.
Juan -- LOVE the message to Almodovar
When she campaigned supporting for The Paperboy I didn't want her record tainted with a supporting bid. Then I later realized it's ridicules to restrict premium actors to the premium category. Nomination count is easily expanded when nominees receive recognition in both categories. After securing the nod for Lion – I don't want the Kidman streak to end. And being cautious like Viola may secure her a spot this year.
@Nathaniel R
*ridiculous
@Nat if it were Nicole or Michelle being yearly Oscar nomed ,you would have no trouble relishing it!!! Do not tell me differently.
As someone who's got two completely underserved best actress awards in Cannes, I'll say this: Nicole won't win.
Coppola, Joon-Ho, Ramsay, Hanake, Lathimos, Baumbach, Haynes, and Ozon in the competition for the Palme d'or?
I WANT TO GO TO CANNES!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Nathaniel--they tend to not award mega-celebrities. I can see a lesser-known actress winning. It's a thrill when a favorite actress wins (I was shocked and delighted when Julianne Moore won) but awarding Hollywood goddesses is the exception, not the rule.
I totally support Nicole joining the esteemed group of Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, and Cate Blanchett who have won the Oscar in both leading and supporting actress.
Ya'll, this is PEDRO we're talking about!
Are we not looking at the same photos up top because the only one I see with an all-female ensemble that torture the only devious male in sight is CLEARLY the frontrunner now. Especially by a respected female director. I'm calling it now, unless it reeks, The Beguiled is winning that Palme d'Or. Or at least one of the very top prizes.
Anyway~
The new Michael Haneke is sure to ride the zeitgeist of 2017 and will at least be an interesting discussion. Isabelle!
Everyone single critic there is gonna be salivating for The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Yorgos Lanthimos has such good buzz right now, hopefully he can pull it out again. Curious how Nicole does in his world.
I think we found our Cannes Best Actor frontrunner in Le redoubtable's Louis Garrel playing Godard.
Noah Baumbach's new one looks like it could be a disaster, honestly. That casting is so weird. Curious to see if it works at all, sans any Greta Gerwig -- his last one without her kinda didn't.
Okja, especially if it wins an award, is gonna give Netflix some serious brownie points just by being there. Hopefully it's amazing like Bong Joon-Ho's *other* sci-fi monster film from ten years ago, The Host.
Vincent Lindon playing Rodin? Another Cannes Best Actor frontrunner.
Always gonna be looking out for Our Boy Todd and his newest, especially with his bff muse on board for this one.
I love me some Lynne Ramsay but, good LORD, she takes her sweet time in between projects. She needs this to work, a lot seems to be riding on it after the recent bad buzz.
Very curious if Taylor Sheridan can pull off his directing debut. He certainly like a police crime story tho, doesn't he?
Top of the Lake!
Twin Peaks!
John Cameron Mitchell!!!
Abbas Kiarostami's last film?!
Vanessa Redgrave!
Isabelle + Kim Min-Hee!!!
So much to look forward to.
Do you feel ageism will prevent a second win in Best Actress? I don't believe she's done getting nods in the category. But it's so difficult for her to get nods period. Also, keep in mind, she has yet to be nominated for an R rated vehicle. All three of her theatrical releases this year are R pictures.
I totally support Nicole joining the esteemed group of Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep, Jessica Lange, and Cate Blanchett who have won the Oscar in both leading and supporting actress.
K -- sorry, but i WILL tell you differently. ;) One thing i am not is a hypocrite. I don't excuse category fraud when people i love do it (like Viola this past year) and I would not be okay with Kidman or Pfeiffer getting nominations every year because i've literally never experienced an actor who was once of the five best of the year every time they worked. It just doesn't happen. Too many talented people in the world! (I don't think there's any actor in history i would give 20 nods to during their career!)
If Haneke won again, he will first triple winner at Cannes.
Marion Cotillard who should won twice at Cannes never rewarded accordingly ( i love Julie but The Cannes and Oscar belong to Marion that year)
Hey Nathaniel, personally, which year that Cannes has best lineup ever in 2010's ?
Why Asian has little chance to win Cannes compared to Berlin and Venice ?
And did Marion loss at Cannes attributed to her personal life( Many Actresses who Cannes winner don't have problematic personal life), since i just realized 2012 Jury lineup has Diane Kruger ( whom i think good actress but not standout talent) ?
Yeah!!
Truly the year of Nicole. I am super happy, she deserves this.