Cannes at Home: Champions of the Neon God

by Cláudio Alves

Let's hope Neon gives Panahi's Palme winner a proper release. No LA CHIMERA nonsense, please.

Neon is on a hot streak. Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident marks the sixth Palme d'Or winner in a row that the distributor will handle for its US release. Then again, they achieved this by leaving nothing to chance, going on a shopping spree of perceived frontrunners. To the point where they have American distribution rights for four of the eight prizewinning films. The other heavy-hitter was Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, which took the Grand Prix, tantamount to second-place honors. But, of course, we shouldn't forget about the films that got no trophy. In between the two big champions, Mario Martone presented Fuori, and Carla Simón moved audiences with her Romería. If Oliver Hermanus' The History of Sound wasn't as acclaimed as one would hope, remember that much can change as far as critical consensus is concerned once more people see these Cannes titles. 

For the penultimate Cannes at Home special, let's examine some of these auteur's earlier efforts, all character studies in their own way. There's Panahi's The White Balloon, Martone's Nostalgia, Simón's Summer 1993, Hermanus' Moffie, and Trier's Reprise…

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Cannes 2025: Ducournau returns and Spike Lee plays Out of Competition

by Cláudio Alves

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST will bring Denzel Washington to Cannes for the first time since 1993.

Thierry Frémaux and company have announced the 78th Cannes Film Festival lineup, with many familiar faces returning to the Main Competition. Former Palme d'Or victors Julia Ducournau and the Dardenne brothers are back in the race, while Golden Bear champion Carla Simón will present her first feature since Alcarràs took Berlin by storm. Speaking of the German fest, Richard Linklater just directed Andrew Scott to an award there and will now bow his Nouvelle Vague at the Croisette. Juliette Binoche will preside over the jury to decide these filmmakers' fates, but we're still awaiting updates regarding the other jurors.

Our own Elisa Giudici will be on the ground covering the fest for The Film Experience as she's been doing for the past few years. I'll try to offer another edition of Cannes at Home for those battling cinephile FOMO. In any case, here's the full Main Competition slate Elisa will be considering in a month's time…

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Best International Film Reviews: Croatia, Italy, and Portugal

by Cláudio Alves

Let's continue our travels through the Best International Film Oscar submissions, with a focus on Southern European cinema this time. Specifically, today's subjects are the films from Italy, Croatia, and my beloved Portugal. This is a tale of one victor and two persevering losers who still manage to send in new films for consideration every year. While Italy is the category's reigning champion with eleven wins, Croatia and Portugal have yet to be nominated. They've never even made it into the shortlists. In the latter case, the country holds the record for the most submissions without a single nod. With great sadness in my heart, I must say that Portugal's Oscar fate is unlikely to change this season…

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Cannes at Home: Days 8 & 9 – Women in Red, the War on Drugs & French Colonialism

by Cláudio Alves

The 75th Cannes Film Festival is almost over! If there's any hope of finishing Cannes at Home before the closing ceremony, it's critical to pick up speed. So, here go two days' worth of auteurs in one go. 

The Dardennes showed their latest, Tori and Lokita, to some acclaim. However, after The Unknown Girl and Young Ahmed, I'm skeptical about the Belgian duo's tackling of immigrant stories. Mario Martone also returned to the competition, and his Nostalgia could see Perfrancesco Favino winning the festival's Best Actor trophy. In contrast, Saeed Roustayi is competing for the Palme for the first time with Leila's Brothers. All that being said, the big story from these latest festival days was surely Claire Denis' Stars at Noon. Most critics seem to hate it – some even jokingly calling for the director's retirement – while a scattering of ardent fans provides a contrarian takes. For sure, hers seems to be the most divisive film at the Croisette.

Today's Cannes at Home selection includes the Dardennes' first Palme d'Or honoree Rosetta, Martone's L'Amore Molesto, Roustayi's acclaimed Just 6.5, and Denis' debut feature Chocolat…

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