Cannes Film Festival 2023
After a couple of years of disruption and a triumphant return last year, the world’s biggest and most prestigious film festival once again gathered the great and the good of global cinema to the French Riviera to celebrate 76th edition of the annual Cannes Film Festival.
As usual international media and selected audiences caught a valuable glimpse of the likely award-contending films to be released throughout the rest of 2023 and well into 2024, both in competition and out, with the official contest determined by a jury presided over by Swedish writer/director/producer and double Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund, eventually awarding this year’s prestigious Palme to Justine Triet for her tense courtroom and family drama ‘Anatomy of a Fall’.
So let’s break down some of the major films and players in this year’s much anticipated festival.
Jury
Image Source: UPI
As per tradition the Palme d’Or among other prizes was awarded by a jury made up of an eclectic selection of filmmakers and artists presided over by Swedish writer/director and multiple times Cannes award winner Ruben Östlund and included American actor/filmmaker Paul Dano, French writer/director Julia Ducournau, American actress/director Brie Larson, French actor Denis Ménochet, Welsh-Zambian writer/director Rungano Nyoni, Afghan writer/director Atiq Rahimi, Argentinian screenwriter Damián Szifrón and Moroccan actress/director Maryam Touzani.
Jury press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Premieres & Screenings
Tuesday the 16th
Jeanne du Barry
Image Source: AP
In what seems to be returning tradition, the honour of opening the festival this year was once again a homegrown affair this time bestowed upon Cannes award winner and Riviera regular actress turned filmmaker Maïwenn, who brought along her stars Pauline Pollmann, Diego Le Fur, Pierre Richard, Benjamin Lavernhe, Pascal Greggory and Melvil Poupaud, and her co-star in the film none other than Johnny Depp in what may be a controversial comeback tour, as they gathered on the red carpet for the out-of-competition premiere of ‘Jeanne du Barry’.
An 18th century French biographical costume drama starring the director herself in the titular role, centred around the life of peasant seamstress’ daughter Jeanne Bécum, who rose from poverty to the become the last official mistress of King Louis XV and took centre stage in his royal court, before facing the fate of the French revolution. ‘Jeanne du Barry’ is out on the 16th of May in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Jeanne du Barry press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wednesday the 17th
Monster (Kaibutsu)
Image Source: Reuters
The first full day of screenings this year brought Japanese cinema back to the Riviera in the form of Cannes regular and multiple award-winner Kore-eda Hirokazu, as he brought along his stars Sakura Ando, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi and Eita Nagayama for the premiere of his latest sober meditation on the human condition ‘Monster’.
A generational tale of secrets and social expectations, centred on a young boy whose mother takes matters into her own hands when he begins to behave disturbingly oddly, as she takes on his school and confronts his teacher only to unravel a web of uncomfortable truths which confronts all of them. ‘Monster’ is out on the 2nd of June in Japan, with no confirmed UK date yet.
Monster red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Homecoming (Le Retour)
Image Source: Reuters
The second of the day’s competition screenings was a homegrown and somewhat controversial affair which brought French filmmaker Catherine Corsini back to the festival along with her stars Virginie Ledoyen, Esther Gohourou, Aissatou Diallo Sagna, Lomane de Dietrich, Suzy Bemba and Harold Orsoni for the premiere of their modern European immigrant drama ‘Homecoming’. A contemporary French tale revolving around an African-born middle-aged domestic caretaker for a wealthy Parisian family, who along with her own children is invited to take care of her employer’s kids in a summer retreat in Corsica, where she is confronted by her own tragic past and the defining experiences on the island which shaped her current identity, and her family’s perception of her. ‘Homecoming’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Homecoming press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Animal Kingdom (Le Règne animal)
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The pick of Wednesday’s other screenings was also the opening film of the ‘Un Certain Regard’ competition and another local endeavour, this time bringing up-and-coming French writer/director Thomas Cailley back to Cannes for the premiere of his sci-fi adventure parable ‘The Animal Kingdom’. Set in a not-too-distant dystopian world where some people suffer with a mutation which gradually transforms them into animals, where a man and his teenage son embark on an odyssey to help his afflicted wife and delve deep into this new animal kingdom to unravel its secrets. Cailley was on hand with his stars Tom Mercier, Romain Duris, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Paul Kircher, ‘The Animal Kingdom’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Animal Kingdom photocall (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Thursday the 18th
Black Flies
Image Source: AP
The first Thursday this year brought American participation (via Paris) to the official competition when French director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire brought a premiere of his adaptation of the unflinching Shannon Burke novel and meditation on 1990’s American urban living ‘Black Flies’ to Cannes. A tense drama/thriller set in New York city and following the fate of a rookie paramedic who has his faith in humanity rocked when he’s teamed up with a jaded veteran EMT, experiencing the the hopelessness and darkness of the human condition as they respond to calls in the frenzy of the city.
Sauvaire was joined on the Riviera red carpet by his producer Warren Goz and stars Michael Pitt, Tye Sheridan, Sean Penn and Raquel Nave, ‘Black Flies’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Black Flies press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Youth (Spring) (Qingchun)
Image Source: AFP
The second of the day’s official competition premieres was a pan-European Chinese documentary affair from director Wang Bing, giving Cannes audiences a sobering human portrait of globalisation and Chinese economic growth named ‘Youth (Spring)’. Focused on a town in the economic pull of nearby Shanghai and following the fate of a group of young textile workers, as they struggle to balance their hopes for a piece of the Chinese dream with the reality of their unrelenting working conditions and the culture shock of their rural roots versus the grind of an industrial machine, whilst trying to maintain a personal life.‘Youth (Spring)’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Youth (Spring) press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Image Source: AP
The day’s activities culminated in true Hollywood style on Thursday when Lucasfilm jumped at the opportunity for some high profile promotion by bringing the latest and first Disney-era adventure of the world’s most famous archaeologist to the Riviera, as director James Mangold assembled his producers Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Simon Emanuel, and his stars Ethann Isidore, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Boyd Holbrook and Mads Mikkelsen, plus the one and only Harrison Ford for an out-of-competition world premiere of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’.
An era-spanning romp following ageing intrepid archaeologist Dr. Jones, who reunites with figures from the good old days and teams up with new ones to embark on another globe-trotting adventure to find a powerful artifact and save history after the ghosts of the past come back to haunt him. ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ is out on the 30th of June in the UK and US.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Friday the 19th
The Zone of Interest
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The first Friday of the official competition this year saw a long overdue feature film return for British writer/director Jonathan Glazer after a decade long absence since 2013’s ‘Under the Skin’, taking Cannes audiences on a risky time travel trip to the Holocaust by way of a tense domestic drama as he historically adapts the Martin Amis novel to give the Riviera faithful a premiere of ‘The Zone of Interest’. Set in in the middle of War War II and focused on the house and garden next to Auschwitz, where the camp commandant tries to build a normal family life in the shadow of the horror he oversees, only to be complicated by the reality of what is being masked and the complications brought by his wife and another Nazi officer. Glazer was joined on the red carpet by his stars Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel plus producers James Wilson and Ewa Puszczynska, ‘The Zone of Interest’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Zone of Interest press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa)
Image Source: Reuters
The second of the day’s official competition screenings was a North African/Arabic cinema affair which brought writer/director Kaouther Ben Hania back to the Riviera along with her stars Nour Karoui, Ichraq Matar, Hind Sabri, Olfa Hamrouni, Tayssir Chikhaoui and Eya Chikhaoui, plus producer Nadim Cheikhrouha for the premiere of their documentary-drama hybrid ‘Four Daughters’. A domestic drama centred around a Tunisian mother of four named Olfa, reeling from the disappearance of two of her girls only to have the film’s director recruit two actresses to take their places, revealing to the audience and reminding the mother of their lives and who they were whilst hopefully filling some of the void left by their absence. ‘Four Daughters’ is out on the 5th of July in France, with no other dates yet.
Four Daughters press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne)
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The final official competition film of the day saw Turkish cinema and a Cannes regular return to the festival when writer/director and Palme d’Or winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan brought his screenwriter Ebru Ceylan and stars Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici, Ece Bağcı, Cengiz Bozkurt, Münir Can Cindoruk, Elif Ürse, Erdem Şenocak, Elit Andaç Çam and Nalan Kuruçim along for the premiere of their contemporary Turkish drama ‘About Dry Grasses’.
Another Anatolian human drama from Ceylan, set in a remote village where an art teacher is losing faith in a move to the big city and ending his years of grim compulsory service, only for hope to be rekindled when he meet a young fellow teacher with hopes and anxieties of her own. ‘About Dry Grasses’ is out on the 12th of July in the France, with no UK date yet.
About Dry Grasses press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Saturday the 20th
Killers of the Flower Moon
Image Source: AFP
Saturday number one at Cannes this year culminated with the return to the festival of a cinematic master and diminutive film industry giant, as the great Martin Scorsese treated the Riviera faithful to an out-of-competition world premiere of his epic true story adaptation of David Grann’s historical novel ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’.
A soulful meditation on America’s colonialist past set in Oklahoma of the 1920s, where a series of murders and exploitation of the Osage Nation—after oil is discovered on their tribal land—sparks an FBI investigation which uncovers some uncomfortable truths. Scorsese was joined on the red carpet by his stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tantoo Cardinal, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Cara Jade Myers and Lily Gladstone, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is out in cinemas on the 20th of October, to be followed by an Apple TV+ streaming release.
Killers of the Flower Moon press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
May December
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The pick of the day’s official competition screenings was an American affair which brought acclaimed writer/director Todd Haynes back to the festival with his stars Cory Michael Smith, Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton in tow for the premiere of his exploration of age and modern relationships in the glare of the media ‘May December’.
A contemporary American tabloid tale following the fate of a couple whose tentatively reconstructed life after a public scandal crumbles under the pressure of a visiting actress doing research on them for a film, as the pain of the past is revisited and takes on a new dimension. ‘May December’ has no confirmed dates yet.
May December press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Banel & Adama (Banel et Adama)
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African cinema was also on show in the official competition stakes on Saturday as feature debutante writer/director Ramata-Toulaye Sy also made her Cannes debut with the premiere of her cultural relationship drama ‘Banel & Adama’. A modern Senegalese melodrama set in a a remote rural village where a devoted and blinkered young couple’s marriage becomes threatened by a disapproving local community. Sy was joined on the Cannes red carpet by her stars Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo, ‘Banel & Adama’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Banel & Adama photocall (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sunday the 21st
Firebrand
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The official competition on Sunday brought British cinema and historial costume drama to the Riviera as Algerian-Brazilian writer/director Karim Aïnouz switches to English language and revisits English history through a modern dramatic perspective with the premiere of ‘Firebrand’.
A period meditation on the religious fervour and paranoia of 16th century Tudor England and the court of King Henry VIII told through the eyes of his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr, as she struggles to balance her hopes for the future of a country aligned with her radical Protestant beliefs while facing the threat of her ailing and increasingly suspicious husband who turns his ire on the radicals around her, and whom has already executed two previous wives. Aïnouz was joined on the red carpet by his stars Amr Waked, Mina Andala, Sam Riley, Junia Rees, Alicia Vikander and Jude Law, plus producer Gabrielle Tana, ‘Firebrand’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Firebrand press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie D’une Chute)
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The second of the day’s official competition entries and the eventual Palme d’Or winner was a homegrown affair with a pan-European flavour, which saw French writer/director Justine Triet return to the festival flanked by her stars Swann Arlaud, Sandra Hüller and Milo Machado Graner for the premiere of their contemporary home and courtroom drama ‘Anatomy of a Fall’.
A tense and complex family drama and crime tale with a moral quandary at its heart, centred on the German wife of a recently deceased Frenchman who is suspected of being involved in his death, and their visually impaired son who may be the only witness to the troubling events which place the family and a marriage under a microscope. ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ is out on the 23rd of August in France, with no UK dates yet.
Anatomy of a Fall press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Acid (Acide)
Image Source: AFP
The pick of the day’s out of competition screenings was also a local affair and a highly environmentally conscious one too, bringing together screenwriter Yacine Badday, producers Yves Darondeau and Clement Renouvin, and stars Marie Jung, Patience Munchenbach, Laetitia Dosch and Guillaume Canet for the premiere of writer/director Just Philippot’s Earth-in-crisis disaster and survival drama ‘Acid’. Set in a near future with the planet in a climate catastrophe and in the midst of a devastating heat wave which brings deadly acid rain onto the French people, leaving a separated family scrambling to reunite and survive the panic and devastation surrounding them. ‘Acid’ is out on the 20th of September in France, with no other dates yet.
Acid red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
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