Next month, the 79th Cannes Film Festival will showcase new works from renowned directors such as Polish filmmaker Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski, Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Spain’s Pedro Almodovar.<\/p>\n
During a press event in Paris, festival organizers unveiled a lineup rich with acclaimed international filmmakers. The festival, held in the South of France from May 12 to 23, features a competitive selection that is highly coveted among filmmakers.<\/p>\n
This year’s competition will feature 21 films competing for the prestigious Palme d\u2019Or. Notable entries include “Fatherland,” a Cold War-era drama starring Sandra H\u00fcller directed by Pawlikowski, known for his previous works “Ida” and “Cold War.” Hamaguchi will present his first film in French, titled “Sudden,” while Almodovar\u2019s entry is “Bitter Christmas.”<\/p>\n
Hollywood representation at Cannes appears limited this year. However, one notable American film in competition is “The Man I Love,” directed by Ira Sachs, which tells a story set in New York during the 1980s AIDS crisis and stars Rami Malek. Additionally, in the Un Certain Regard section, Jane Schoenbrun will present “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” a follow-up to their 2014 film, featuring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.<\/p>\n
The lineup includes several previous Palme d\u2019Or winners. Romanian director Cristian Mungiu returns with “Fjord,” set in Norway and starring Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan. Mungiu’s earlier work, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” won the Palme in 2007. Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the award in 2018 for “Shoplifters,” will debut his sci-fi film “Sheep in the Box,” about a grieving couple who adopt a humanoid boy.<\/p>\n
Specialty distributor Neon has acquired “Fjord,” “Sheep in the Box,” and “Sudden,” aiming to continue its impressive streak of six consecutive Palme d\u2019Or winners, following last year\u2019s success with Jafar Panahi\u2019s “It Was Just an Accident.”<\/p>\n
Neon is also associated with “Her Private Hell,” a thriller from Nicolas Winding Refn, which will be shown out of competition. This film marks Refn’s return to feature filmmaking since “The Neon Demon” in 2016 and stars Sophie Thatcher and Charles Melton.<\/p>\n
Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev will compete with “Minotaur.” His previous films, “Loveless” and “Leviathan,” both premiered at Cannes and received Oscar nominations.<\/p>\n
Additional competition films include works by Asghar Farhadi (“Parallel Stories”), Lukas Dhont (“Coward”), and Lazlo Nemes (“Moulin”).<\/p>\n
Thierry Fremaux, the artistic director of Cannes, revealed the selected films alongside festival president Iris Knobloch. Fremaux noted that a total of 2,541 feature films were submitted for consideration.<\/p>\n
Knobloch emphasized the importance of showcasing diverse films and artists from around the globe, stating, “In this moment, bringing together films and artists from around the world is not a luxury, it\u2019s a necessity.” She highlighted that such showcases are vital for preserving humanity’s capacity to dream and think freely.<\/p>\n
Following a strong 2025 festival that featured several Oscar contenders, including two best-picture nominees, this year\u2019s Cannes is set to maintain its reputation as a significant launchpad for international cinema, with many films likely to appear at the Oscars next year.<\/p>\n
However, it seems that Hollywood studios will have a reduced presence this year. Fremaux indicated that major red-carpet premieres, like those for “Top Gun: Maverick” or “Mission: Impossible \u2014 The Final Reckoning,” are not expected. Nonetheless, it was announced prior to the Paris event that John Travolta\u2019s directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” will screen in the Cannes Premiere section.<\/p>\n
According to Fremaux, the U.S. will still be represented, but studio involvement may not be as prominent. He noted, “When studios are less present at Cannes, it means they are generally less present with the type of cinema that used to allow them to thrive.”<\/p>\n
Two notable American directors will present documentaries in special screenings: Steven Soderbergh with “John Lennon: The Last Interview” and Ron Howard with “Avedon,” which chronicles the life of photographer Richard Avedon.<\/p>\n
The festival will kick off with “The Electric Kiss,” a French film from the 1920s, shown out of competition. Cannes mandates that its opening film be released in French theaters during the same week. Moreover, all films vying for competition must have theatrical distribution, a rule that has excluded Netflix and other streaming films since 2017 due to France’s regulations protecting theatrical windows.<\/p>\n
This year, Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will head the nine-member jury responsible for awarding the Palme d\u2019Or. Additionally, honorary Palmes will be awarded to Barbra Streisand and Peter Jackson.<\/p>\n
For ongoing updates and the latest news from Hollywood, Bollywood, and entertainment, stay tuned to The Indian Express.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Next month, the 79th Cannes Film Festival will showcase new works from renowned directors such as Polish filmmaker Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski, Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Spain’s Pedro Almodovar. During a press event in Paris, festival organizers unveiled a lineup rich with acclaimed international filmmakers. The festival, held in the South of France from May 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[573,942,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-entertainment","category-in-hollywood","category-india"],"yoast_head":"\n