For the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Frémaux, the director of the fest, is laying down the law. First, he is outlawing selfies being taken on the red carpet. He feels it slows down the whole process of walking down it and delays getting in to the screenings (which is the real reason why everyone is actually there). But the biggest change will effect Netflix’s involvement with Cannes. The television streaming giant which is seeking film legitimacy by crashing film festivals, will no longer be eligible to compete for prizes. While the fest would allow them to participate out of competition, Netflix’s model of not releasing their films theatrically in France does not sit well with Frémaux. He has stated that after accepting two of their films (“Okja” and “The Meyerowitz Stories”) last year, he thought Netflix could eventually be persuaded to change their film release schedule but it did not come to pass. In response to this decision, Ted Sarandos, the chief officer of Netflix, has decided to pull their films completely from the fest. Both sides are apparently still discussing the matter so we shall see what will ultimately happen before the festival begins on May 8th.
A colorful, stylized image from Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 feature, "Pierrot le fou" serves as this year's poster inspired by the work of Georges Pierre, the late still photographer who shot behind the scenes of over 100 films during a thirty year career. The Opening Night Gala selection is "Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben)", the latest from Asghar Farhadi, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of "A Separation" and "The Salesman". Real-life couple, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz star in this drama about a woman who returns home to Madrid to visit her family with her Argentinian husband (Ricardo Darin) and children when dark secrets are revealed that upset the celebration.
Cate Blanchett will head the jury for the films competing for prizes in the Main Competition while fellow Oscar-winner, Benicio del Toro will lead the jury for the Un Certain Regard (for films that are "innovative and daring works") prize selections. Some of the films selected to compete for awards include new works from acclaimed international filmmakers like Spike Lee ("Blackkklansman"), Pawel Pawlikowski ("Cold War"), David Robert Mitchell ("Under The Silver Lake"), Alice Rohrwacher ("Lazzaro Felice"), Matteo Garrone ("Dogman"), Christophe Honoré ("Sorry Angel"), Kore-eda Hirokazu ("Shoplifters") and the eighty-seven year old French auteur, Jean-Luc Godard ("Le Livre D’Image").
Special Screenings included will be the world premiere of "Solo: A Star Wars Story", the highly anticipated, Ron Howard directed film about an early Han Solo adventure; Terry Gilliam's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" which he finally finished after trying to complete the project for twenty-nine years but an ongoing legal dispute could prevent it from being shown at the fest and most shocking, the latest from Lars Von Trier, "The House That Jack Built". The Danish director had been banned from the fest back in 2011 after he made odd comments that appeared to be Nazi sympathizing during a press conference for his film, "Melancholia". I guess time can always help to find forgiveness for just about anybody.
There will be Masterclasses with notable figures of cinema to discuss their work and careers from Christopher Nolan (who will also present the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" with a restored 70mm print), "Black Panther" director, Ryan Coogler, this year's Best Actor Oscar winner, Gary Oldman and John Travolta who will not only be on hand to introduce a 40th anniversary restored print of his hit musical, "Grease" but also for a special gala screening of his long-delayed biopic of the infamous mob boss, "Gotti".
The Cannes Classics section will include two documentaries on the legendary Swedish filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman, "Searching For Ingmar Bergman" and "Bergman: A Year In A Life" as well as a digital 4K restoration screening of his 1957 film, "The Seventh Seal"; "The Eyes Of Orson Welles" takes us on a journey through the filmmaker’s visual process and features never-before-seen drawings, paintings and early works; Jane Fonda will be on hand for the presentation of an HBO documentary about her amazing career by Susan Lacy, "Jane Fonda In Five Acts" and several screenings of new film restorations including Billy Wilder’s "The Apartment", Vittorio De Sica’s "Bicycle Thieves" and Luc Besson’s "The Big Blue".
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