Ever since film festivals came to be regarded as important, the Cannes Film Festival has been the benchmark. ‘Prestigious’ is a word that’s thrown around a lot with regard to Cannes.
This year too promises a lot of excitement with a jury headed by George Miller. The 71-year-old auteur returns to the jury after a gap of 15 years. And this is right after he made the greatest action film ever, last year. The rest of the jury is quite colourful too, with French director Arnaud Desplechin, actor Kirsten Dunst, Valeria Golino of Rain Man-fame, Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen, Hungarian director and the man behind Son of Saul, László Nemes, French singer-actor Vanessa Paradis, Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi, and actor Donald Sutherland.
The films to watch out for are a mixed bag of pure entertainment, great suspense, period films, and some edge-of-the-seat action. But no Indian films have made it through to the festival this year. Here are some of the top films on the bill:
Pedro Almodovar’s Julieta
The Spanish filmmaker returns to Cannes after a five-year gap with Julieta starring Emma Suarez and Adriana Ugarte. The women play older and younger versions of the titular character. This is Almodovar’s 20th film and his fifth to compete for the Palme d’Or. This is also the director’s return to drama after 2013’s oddball-comedy I’m So Excited .
Woody Allen’s Cafe Society
Woody Allen’s film is going to open the festival for the third time, with Cafe Society starring Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Steve Carrell and Kristen Stewart. While Allen’s past few films may have been on shaky ground, there’s always something exciting about a new Woody Allen film. This period film set in Hollywood of the Fred Astaire-era promises another fun outing for fans of the director.
Shane Black’s The Nice Guys
Pegged the ‘world’s worst detectives’, The Nice Guys stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in buddy-cop mystery comedy. Directed by Shane Black of Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang fame, this film promises to be everything that a movie set in 1970s Los Angeles with a couple of bumbling private-eyes can be.
Andrea Arnold’s American Honey
With Shia LeBeouf and Sasha Lane as the leads, this is a road movie about a young woman who joins a group of travelling magazine salespersons who party hard as they move across midwestern America. British director Andrea Arnold’s earlier film, Fish Tank won the Jury Prize in 2009. The Red Road filmmaker will be in competition for the Palme d’Or this year too.
Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden
The Oldboy director is back, this time with a period thriller revolving around a con man who hires a female pickpocket to seduce a wealthy Japanese heiress. The stylish film stars Ha Jung-woo, the actor who drew audience’s attention in 2011’s The Murderer .
Jeff Nichols’ Loving
Taking up a topic that has been in the news for the last few years, Jeff Nichols brings to the screen an interracial couple in 1960s America. Starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, the couple are sentenced to prison for the crime of being in love.
Jodie Foster’s Money Monster
Being screened out of competition, Jodie Foster’s next directorial venture is definitely a film to look forward to. Starring A-listers like Julia Roberts and George Clooney who play a TV producer and a host respectively, this is a nail-biting hostage drama that is bound to have audiences hooked.
Steven Spielberg’s The BFG
Another beloved Roald Dahl book is being made into a film, this time produced by Disney and helmed by Steven Spielberg. The BFG , which expands to Big Friendly Giant, apart from being Spielberg’s first ever live-action 3D film, is also being screened out of competition at Cannes. Sophie, a young orphan is kidnapped by the BFG to help him get rid of evil giants in the world.
