First thing I notice, as in 2020, there is NO Short Film selection, wonder why but hope later organizers will announce them as of this very moment and with the new official web site it's not possible to find something about Short Films in the Official Selection. By-the-way, yes there will be short films in other sections. What follows now is La Quinzaine, La Semaine and ACID selections which will be announced next week.The festival will run from July 6 to 17 and yes, there are more films in the official selection that will be announced later, including the festival closing film. Also there are other Festival de Cannes sections with selections to be released later on like Cinema de la Plage, Cannes Classics (maybe documentaries will be here again), and more. Fremaux teased that there will be a major blockbuster in Cinema at the Beach and it's not James Bond, Dune or West Side Story ... social media speculation immediately went crazy, best guess definitively is Chloe Zhao Eternals.
Am I glad Cannes is back? YES! Even when many of us cinema lover will be able to watch films until next year or more is absolutely great to know that great cinema is alive in well with great master filmmakers doing what could be outstanding films and when you read the films in the selection you will understand what I mean.
Some say in social media, why people make so much fuzz about Cannes when the same directors come every year and there is nothing new. For me is one, if not the main, reason to be exited about Cannes as always showcases the latest work of great filmmakers those who make outstanding cinema, the kind that gives audiences a complete sensorial and emotional voyage, the one that grabs when you less expect and releases you well after the movie has ended, the one that puts you inside and makes you feel that if you turn around you will see what you just left ... and many more emotions, feelings, strong sensations, etc. That's is Cannes and unfortunately no other film festival cares to be strong in this kind of films, so no other film festival is like Cannes.
Still, Cannes refuses to change and/or adapt. Late May 2021 Italy's IDM Film Fund hosted the 10th Incontri Conference with the assistance of Antonio Barbera (Venice FF), Carlo Chatrian (Berlinale), Piera Detassis (President of David di Donatello Academy), and Matthijs Wouter Knol (Director of European Film Academy). Many interesting topics were discussed but wait, do you notice the absence of one person? Where is Thierry Fremaux? Not in the panel. Perhaps the most interesting comment when discussing film festivals is "something changed forever" ... "though we will go back to physical show it won't be the same". Do not have to get a crystal ball to believe those predictions are most likely truth, we will see what happens in Cannes to find more insights, but truth is that the world changed and cinema making and watching is NO exception. Then Knol made a remarkable comment: "younger audiences get to see great films ... in cinemas or on the platforms" notice he acknowledges that NO longer there are only cinemas for younger audiences, as platforms probable have greater presence among youth viewers. Well, as long as Cannes denies the role of the platforms and insists that the ONLY way to watch good cinema is in theaters then their relevance among younger population will continue to be less and less and my friends that's how "something" dies as their audience population goes older and older.
Then Fremaux dared to say something like, we are in post-pandemic times. I do not agree and hope organizers will take all great measures to assure the health of extraordinary film directors, actresses and actors and many other industry attendees as IF not and they get sick the good cinema will suffer immensely if they're gone or suffer the illness sequels. Gee. it's ridiculous me writing about this, but nowadays is a true concern.
Okay enough, let's go to the great news.
First, Cannes had a fantastic choice and decision to give the Honorary Palme d'or to Jodie Foster, who had her first Croissette appearance when she was 13 years-old with Palme d'Or winner Taxi Driver; forty-five years later she comes back to receive a Palme d'Or, this time for herself. Second, Fremaux announced the creation of a new section Cannes Premieres with films that in the past used to end up in Un Certain Regard section and were from directors who came to Cannes before. Consequently, the Un Certain Regard section goes back to its original intend, films for young and experimental cinema.
There are 63 films in the Official Selection and only 18 are directed by one or more women, meaning that almost a third of the total lineup has at least one female director; note that two films are co-directed by two women. Actually is a bit up from previous years' 25%, but still is a male dominated festival as proportions are lower that other major festivals where an effort has been made to allow the presence of female directors. Sigh.
There are twenty-four films in this year's competition.
Official Selection
Competition
Opening Film: Annette, Leos Carax, France, Mexico, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, and Germany
A feleségem története (The Story of My Wife), Ildikó Enyedi, Hungary, Germany and Italy
Benedetta, Paul Verhoeven, France
Bergman Island, Mia Hansen-Løve, France, Sweden and Germany
ドライブ・マイ・カー Doraibu mai kâ (Drive My Car), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan
Flag Day, Sean Penn, USA
France (aka On a Half Clear Morning), Bruno Drumont, France and Belgium
قهرمان, Ghahreman (A Hero), Asghar Farhadi, Iran and France
הברך Ha' berech (Ahed's Knee), Nadav Lapid, Israel and France
Haut et Fort (Casablanca Beats), Nabil Ayouch, Morocco and France
Hytti Nro 6 (Compartment Number 6), Juho Kuosmanen, Finland, Estonia, Germany and Russia
La Fracture, Catherine Corsini, France
Les Intranquilles (The Restless), Joachim Lafosse, France, Belgium and Luxembourg
Les Olympiades (Paris, 13th District), Jaques Audiard, France
Lingui, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France, Germany and Belgium
Memoria, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Colombia, Mexico, France, UK, Germany and Thailand
Nitram, Justin Kurzel, Australia
Петровы в гриппе Petrovy v grippe (Petrov's Flu), Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia, Switzerland, France and Germany
Red Rocket, Sean Baker, USA
The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson, USA
Titane, Julia Ducournau, France and Belgium
Tre Piani (Three Floors), Nanni Moretti, Italy and France
Tout s'est bien passé (Everything Went Fine), François Ozon, France
Verdens verste menneske (The Worst Person in the World), Joachim Trier, Norway, France, Denmark and Sweden
Out of Competition
Closing Film: TBA
Aline, Valérie Lemercier, Canada and France
BAC Nord, Cédric Jimenez, France
비상선언 Bisangsuneon (Emergency Declaration), Han Jae-Rim, Korea
De Sont Vivant (In His Lifetime), Emmanuelle Bercot, France
The Velvet Underground, Todd Haynes, USA (documentary)
Stillwater, Tom McCarthy, USA
Special Screenings
Бабий Яр. Контекст Babi Yar. Context, Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine, France and Romania (documentary)
מחברות שחורות Black Notebooks, Shlomi Elkabetz, Israel
H6, Yé Yé , France
O Marinhero das Montanhas (Mariner of the Mountains), Karim Aïnouz, Brazil, Algeria and France
The Year of the Everlasting Storm, Jafar Panahi, Antony Che, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor, David Lowery, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Iran, Singapore, USA, Chile and Thailand (Anthology)
Midnight Screenings
Oranges Sanguines (Bloody Oranges), Jean-Christophe Meurisse, France
Cannes Premiere
Cette musique ne joue pour personne (Love Songs For Tough Guys), Samuel Benchetrit, France
Cow, Andrea Arnold, UK (documentary)
Evolution, Kornél Mundruczó, Hungary (documentary about the play/performance?)
당신 얼굴 앞에서 In Front of Your Face, Hong Sang Soo, Korea
Jane par Charlotte, Charlotte Gainbsbourg, France (documentary)
JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, Oliver Stone, USA (documentary)
Mothering Sunday, Eva Husson, UK
Serre-moi fort (Hold Me Tight), Mathieu Amalric, France
Tromperie (Deception), Arnaud Desplechin, France
Val, Ting Poo and Leo Scott, USA (documentary)
Un Certain Regard
After Yang, Kogonada, USA
Bağlılık-Aslı (Commitment), Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey
Blue Bayou, Justin Chon, USA
Bonne Mère, Hafsia Herzi, France
De uskyldige (The Innocents), Eskil Vogt, Norway and Sweden
Дело Delo (House Arrest), Alexey German Jr., Russia
Dýrið (Lamb), Valdimar Jóhannsson, Iceland, Sweden and Poland
Freda, Gessica Généus, Haiti, Benin, and France
街娃儿 Gaey Wa'r (Remainder), Na Jiazuo, China
Große Freiheit (Great Freedom), Sebastian Meise, Austria and Germany
La Civil, Teodora Ana Mihai, Romania, Mexico and Belgium
ויהי בוקר Let There Be Morning, Eran Kolin, Israel and France
Moneyboys, C.B Yi, Austria, France, Taiwan and Belgium
Noche de Fuego (Prayers for the Stolen), Tatiana Huezo, Mexico
রেহানা মরিয়ম নূর Rehana Maryam Noor, Abdulah Mohammad Saad, Bangladesh, Singapore and Qatar
Un Monde, Laura Wandel, Belgium
Разжимая кулаки Unclenching The Fists, Kira Kovalenko, Russia
Women Do Cry, Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazarova, Bulgaria and France
To read official press kit go here is a pdf file.