A scramble unfolds in the home stretch towards Cannes
- An overview of the favourites and outsiders vying for a place in the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival (running 12 – 23 May 2020)
After a sumptuous 2019 vintage, whose notes lasted right up until the recent Oscar Awards with the triumph of the Palme d’Or picture Parasite by South Korea’s Bong Joon Ho, the Cannes Film Festival is soon to decant the programme of its 73rd edition, scheduled to unspool between 12 – 23 May 2020. Only two things are known for sure so far: American filmmaker Spike Lee will preside over the Official Competition jury (read our news) and Cannes selector Thierry Frémaux will have a very wide range of films and talented applicants to choose from (which isn’t to say we won’t enjoy a few surprises). An overview of these contenders seems fitting, before they officially enter into the swirling mass of films that will be battling it out in the selection process for their place in the sun, atop the Mount Olympus of world auteur cinema that is the Cannes Film Festival.
At the forefront of these contenders are three filmmakers already in possession of a Palme d’Or: Italy’s Nanni Moretti, who’ll be staking his bets on Tre piani [+see also:
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film profile], Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul armed with Memoria [+see also:
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film profile] and France’s Laurent Cantet brandishing Arthur Rambo [+see also:
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interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile].
Standing tall amongst the filmmakers having already triumphed in Cannes, we find Japan’s Naomi Kawase with her title True Mothers, Denmark’s Thomas Vinterberg with offering Another Round [+see also:
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film profile], Mexico’s Michel Franco with Lo que algunos soñaron [+see also:
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film profile], Chad’s Mahamat Saleh-Haroun with Lingui [+see also:
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interview: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Achou…
film profile], and France’s Bruno Dumont with On a Half Clear Morning [+see also:
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interview: Bruno Dumont
film profile], alongside his compatriots Maïwenn, Xavier Beauvois and Mathieu Amalric with DNA [+see also:
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film profile], Drift Away [+see also:
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interview: Xavier Beauvois
film profile] and Serre moi fort [+see also:
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film profile] respectively. For the record, the potential inclusion of American director Sofia Coppola in the competition, with On The Rocks, is contingent on her film being released in French cinemas (a precondition for all works in contention for the Palme d’Or) since the film is produced by the Apple platform.
In terms of filmmakers having already participated in the competition on the Croisette, notable names include American director Wes Anderson with The French Dispatch [+see also:
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film profile], French director Leos Carax with Annette [+see also:
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film profile] (and the coupling of two stars, Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver), alongside his compatriots François Ozon with Summer of 85 [+see also:
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film profile], Nicole Garcia with Lovers [+see also:
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interview: Nicole Garcia
film profile], Stéphane Brizé with For Better or For Worse [+see also:
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interview: Stéphane Brizé
film profile], Xavier Giannoli with Lost Illusions [+see also:
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interview: Xavier Giannoli
film profile] and Benoît Jacquot with Suzanna Andler [+see also:
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film profile]. There’s also Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov with Petrov’s Flu [+see also:
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film profile], Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczó with the Canadian production Pieces of a Woman [+see also:
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interview: Kornél Mundruczó and Kata W…
film profile], Austria’s Ulrich Seidl with Rimini [+see also:
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interview: Ulrich Seidl
film profile], Italy’s Daniele Luchetti with The Ties [+see also:
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interview: Daniele Luchetti
film profile], Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Wife of a Spy, the Iraqi Hiner Saleem with Goodnight, Soldier, and maybe even American star Sean Penn with Flag Day (even if the reception The Last Face was treated to in Cannes 2016 does seem difficult to move past on paper).
The most serious contenders for a first possible outing to the French festival’s competition notably include Hungary’s Ildikó Enyedi with The Story of My Wife [+see also:
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interview: Ildikó Enyedi
film profile], French director Mia Hansen-Løve with Bergman Island [+see also:
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interview: Mia Hansen-Løve
film profile], American Chloé Zhao with Nomadland, her compatriot David Lowery with The Green Knight, China’s Ann Hui with Love After Love, Lebanon’s Danielle Arbid with the French-Belgian co-production Passion simple [+see also:
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interview: Danielle Arbid
film profile], and even Israeli director Nadav Lapid with Ahed’s Knee [+see also:
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interview: Nadav Lapid
film profile].
There’s no shortage of talent in terms of European productions hoping for a Cannes premiere, as proven by the three Italian titles Il buco [+see also:
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interview: Michelangelo Frammartino
film profile], by Michelangelo Frammartino, The Macaluso Sisters [+see also:
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film profile], by Emma Dante, and Miss Marx [+see also:
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interview: Susanna Nicchiarelli
film profile], by Susanna Nichiarelli. There’s also Fools [+see also:
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interview: Tomasz Wasilewski
film profile] by Poland’s Tomasz Wasilewski, The Girl and the Spider [+see also:
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interview: Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zü…
film profile] by Swiss director Ramön Zurcher, The Last Ones [+see also:
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interview: Veiko Õunpuu
film profile] by Estonia’s Veiko Õunpuu, The Innocents [+see also:
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interview: Eskil Vogt
film profile] by Norwegian Eskil Vogt, Shorta [+see also:
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interview: Anders Ølholm and Frederik …
film profile] by Danish directors Danois Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm, The Europeans by Spanish filmmaker Víctor García León and the English-language feature Nobody Has to Know [+see also:
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interview: Bouli Lanners
film profile] by Belgium’s Bouli Lanners and Tim Mielants.
Likewise impossible to ignore are Amira by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, Memory Box [+see also:
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interview: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil J…
film profile] by Lebanese filmmakers Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, The Man Who Sold His Skin [+see also:
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interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] by Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania (news), A Story of Love and Desire [+see also:
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film profile] by her compatriot Leyla Bouzid, Casablanca Beats [+see also:
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film profile] by Morocco’s Nabil Ayouch, La Nuit des Rois by the French-Ivory Coast director Philippe Lacôte, Here We Are [+see also:
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film profile] by the Israeli Nir Bergman, Shake Your Cares Away by his fellow countryman Tom Shoval and Mainstream by American director Gia Coppola.
On the French side of the starting blocks, over and above the names already mentioned, we find Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle [+see also:
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interview: Arthur Harari
film profile] by Arthur Harari, Mandibles [+see also:
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interview: Quentin Dupieux
film profile] by Quentin Dupieux, Les Années 10 by Thierry de Peretti (article), Love Affair(s) [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Mouret
film profile] by Emmanuel Mouret and After Blue [+see also:
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film profile] by Bertrand Mandico, not forgetting Between Two Worlds [+see also:
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interview: Emmanuel Carrère
film profile] by Emmanuel Carrère.
Other stand-out productions of French origin include Madame Claude [+see also:
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interview: Florence Gastaud
film profile] by Sylvie Verheyde, Our Men [+see also:
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interview: Rachel Lang
film profile] by Rachel Lang, A Night Doctor [+see also:
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interview: Elie Wajeman
film profile] by Elie Wajeman and Madeleine Collins [+see also:
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interview: Antoine Barraud
film profile] by Antoine Barraud.
In terms of the ever-highly disputed category of first feature films, we find, amongst others, The Drover’s Wife by Australian director Leah Purcell, Skies of Lebanon [+see also:
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film profile] by French filmmaker Chloé Mazlo, Bruno Reidal [+see also:
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interview: Vincent Le Port
film profile] by her compatriot Vincent Le Port, The Third War [+see also:
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interview: Giovanni Aloi
film profile] by Italy’s Giovanni Aloï, Natural Light [+see also:
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interview: Dénes Nagy
film profile] by Hungarian talent Dénes Nagy, The Swarm [+see also:
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interview: Just Philippot
film profile] by French director Just Philippot (article), The Translator [+see also:
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interview: Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf
film profile] by the duo of Syrian origin Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, Hatching [+see also:
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interview: Hanna Bergholm
film profile] by Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, Beginning [+see also:
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interview: Dea Kulumbegashvili
film profile] by Georgia’s Dea Kulumbegashvili, Unclenching The Fists [+see also:
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film profile] by Russian director Kira Kovalenko, Taste by Vietnamese filmmaker Le Bao and the French films Gagarin [+see also:
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interview: Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Tr…
film profile] by the duo composed of Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, Rascal [+see also:
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interview: Peter Dourountzis
film profile] by Peter Dourountzis, The Heroics [+see also:
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interview: Maxime Roy
film profile] by Maxime Roy and My Best Part [+see also:
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interview: Nicolas Maury
interview: Nicolas Maury
film profile] by Nicolas Maury. Alongside them are The Hill Where Lionesses Roar [+see also:
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interview: Luana Bajrami
film profile] by the French-Kosovan Luàna Bajrami, Apples [+see also:
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interview: Christos Nikou
film profile] by Greece’s Christos Nikou, Libertad [+see also:
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interview: Clara Roquet
film profile] by Spanish director Clara Roquet, Bootlegger by Canada’s Caroline Monnet, Sans Soleil by Belgian filmmaker Banu Akseki and Moneyboys [+see also:
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interview: CB Yi
film profile] by China’s C.B Yi.
Last but not least, bumping up against others on the documentary side are The Brain [+see also:
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film profile] by Swiss director Jean-Stéphane Bron, and French titles A Story of One's Own [+see also:
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film profile] by Amandine Gay and Bigger Than Us [+see also:
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film profile] by Flore Vasseur, while animations include Where is Anne Frank? [+see also:
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interview: Ari Folman
film profile] by Israel’s Ari Folman and The Crossing [+see also:
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film profile] by Florence Miailhe.
Possible films? Probable films? Amongst these many indications (which films will be ready in the spring? Who made them? Who is selling them?), and the suppositions that are cranked out by prognosticators-come-bar-room-philosophisers in the field of world cinema before the sword of selection finally falls, we also find, among various other hopes and dreams, that of discovering Tenet [+see also:
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film profile] by American director Christopher Nolan.
(Translated from French)
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