In 1988, Isabelle Huppert won the first of two Venice Volpi Cups, for Chabrol's STORY OF WOMEN.
As Cannes approaches, a barrage of festival news has hit film lovers worldwide. From celebratory to tragic, many of these stories aren't even about the Croisette, signaling how 2024 is entering the festival season full throttle. For example, Isabelle Huppert has been announced as the Jury President for this year's Venice, provoking traumatic flashbacks to whoever still remembers her Cannes presidency in 2009. According to rumor, the French thespian was an absolute tyrant, imposing her will over the other jurors to award frequent collaborator Michael Haneke with his first Palme d'Or. Fellow juror James Gray infamously described her as a "fascist bitch."
Following Lupita Nyong'o in Berlin and Gerwig in Cannes, Huppert's announcement makes 2024 the first year when all the big three European Film Festivals chose women as their Main Competition Jury Presidents…
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (1975) Peter Weir
Landmarks and gossip aside, the Venice Film Festival organizers have also announced the recipient of this year's Honorary Golden Lion for Career Achievement. That honor falls on Peter Weir, the Australian auteur behind films like Picnic at Hanging Rock, Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master & Commander. It feels especially fitting if you consider that the director has recently announced his retirement, allowing one to assess his filmography as a whole, reflect on his legacy, and acknowledge the artist's influence. This isn't the first time Weir has won such career trophies either. After all, in 2022, he took home an Honorary Academy Award.
From the Lido back to the French Riviera, the latest news story to come out of Cannes is a sad one.
THE SEED OF THE SACRED TREE (2024) Mohammad Rasoulof
Iranian cineaste Mohammad Rasoulof has been detained and sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a hefty fine, and confiscation of his property. Such developments come after Iranian authorities tried to pressure the director and the festival to remove his latest project, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, from competition. Cast and crew have also been harassed and forbidden from leaving the country by the Revolutionary Court of Theran. Despite all this, little is known about the film's narrative. The latest revelations describe it as the story of a judge "who grapples with mistrust and paranoia as nationwide political protests intensify and his gun mysteriously disappears."
In the meantime, over 300 international film professionals have signed an open letter showing support for the Cannes workers who are striking during the festival. This movement is organized by the Precarious Film Festival Workers Collective and may yet disrupt the events planned for the Croisette. There are also rumors that the festival organizers, along with many others in the French Film industry, are bracing for a veritable wave of #MeToo accusations. The bombshell report should drop next Tuesday, May 14th, when the 77th edition of the festival celebrates its opening with Quentin Dupieux's latest folly. Amid the chaos, it's also interesting that the Closing Night screening is still a mystery.
EMMANUELLE (2024) Audrey Diwan
Still, those hoping that Audrey Diwan's new film, Emmanuelle, would have its world premiere at Cannes may give up the ghost. The feminist re-imagining of an erotic classic will open San Sebastian, a high-profile get for the Spanish Film Festival. It's bound to be a starry edition since the organizers have also announced Cate Blanchett as this year's recipient of the Donostia Award, the festival's greatest honor. Furthermore, the two-time Oscar winner will be San Sebastian's face, featuring in posters and other promotional material.
Are you excited for Huppert's Venice Presidency? Grieving over Rasoulof's fate? Perhaps you can't wait to see Diwan's Happening follow-up. Share your thoughts in the comments.