Cannes Film Festival 2024
Once again May in Europe focused the world’s attention on the French Riviera to truly kick off the 2024/2025 movie season, start the award show express headed towards next year’s Oscars, and turbocharge this year’s film festival season, as the world’s media and the great & good of global cinema gathered once again at world’s biggest and most prestigious film festival to showcase their wares and celebrate the 77th 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 2024 and well into 2025, both in competition and out, with the official contest determined by a jury presided over by American actress turned filmmaker Greta Gerwig, eventually awarding this year’s prestigious Palme d’Or to Sean Baker for his latest vibrant contemporary American study on sex workers and society’s marginalised ‘Anora’.
So let’s break down some of the major films and players in this year’s much anticipated festival.
Jury
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As per tradition the Palme d’Or among other prizes in the main competition were awarded by a jury made up of an eclectic selection of filmmakers and artists, presided over by American actress turned filmmaker Greta Gerwig and included Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona, Turkish actress/writer Ebru Ceylan, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, American actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki and French actor Omar Sy.
Jury press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Premieres & Screenings
Tuesday the 14th
The Second Act (Le Deuxième Acte)
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In keeping with recent tradition the task of opening the festival this year was once again a homegrown honour, this time somewhat unlikely falling upon the shoulders of French electronic musician (aka Mr. Oizo) turned surrealist quirky deadpan filmmaker Quentin Dupieux, as the writer/director gathered his stars Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, Raphaël Quenard and Manuel Guillot on the Cannes red carpet for the out-of-competition premiere of ‘The Second Act’.
An idiosyncratic and unconventional relationship comedy/drama centred on a young woman in love who wants to introduce the object of her affections to her father, only for her crush to have his own plans of passing her on to his own friend, with all the awkward action taking place in an isolated restaurant in the middle of who knows where, France. ‘The Second Act’ is out now in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
The Second Act press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wednesday the 15th
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
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The first full day of screenings this year saw visionary Aussie writer/director George Miller revive his hugely influential creation and return to the Riviera to take full advantage of some major last minute promotion, bringing along his stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke among others for a big Hollywood out-of-competition premiere of their post-apocalyptic origin story/prequel/spin-off ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’.
Set many years before Furiosa became the heroine of the Citadel and teamed up with Max to free it from the claws of the tyrannical Immortan Joe, when as a youngster she is abducted from her home and plunged into a brutal post-apocalyptic struggle for survival in the desert wasteland where she hones her fighting and hard-driving skills, in this origin story prequel to 2015’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is out in cinemas everywhere now.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
The Girl with the Needle (Pigen Med nålen)
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The first of the day’s official competition screenings was a dark Scandinavian period affair which saw Swedish writer/director Magnus von Horn bring to light a morbid period of Danish history, bringing along his stars Tessa Hoder, Mariusz Włodarski, Besir Zeciri, Victoria Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm for the premiere of their bleak human drama meditation ‘The Girl with the Needle’.
Set in the start of the 20th century and loosely based around the story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, it follows a struggling young pregnant woman who takes on a job as a wet nurse working for an older woman operating a clandestine adoption agency, only to find herself in the middle of a monstrous conspiracy when she discovers that her new employer has far more sinister intentions than first meet the eye. ‘The Girl with the Needle’ has no release dates yet.
The Girl with the Needle press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Wild Diamond (Diamant Brut)
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The day’s other official competition screening was a contemporary homegrown affair which marked a Cannes debut for writer/director Agathe Riedinger, who brought along her feature film debut to the Riviera for a premiere of her modern French study on youth and celebrity obsession ‘Wild Diamond’.
A modern day parable following the fortunes of a feisty teenager on the cusp of young womanhood from the Côte d’Azur, whose obsession with beauty and determination to become famous lead her to reality TV show “Miracle Island” and all its pitfalls. Riedinger was in attendance with her stars Ashley Romano, Malou Khebizi, Kilia Fernane, Lea Gorla and Alexandra Noisier, ‘Wild Diamond’ is out on the 9th of October in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Wild Diamond press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Thursday the 16th
Megalopolis
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The first Thursday at Cannes this year brought a return to the Riviera and signalled a comeback to the feature film director’s chair over a decade in-the-making for a true cinema giant, as the great Francis Ford Coppola brought along his stars Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Romy Croquet Mars, Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter and Chloe Fineman among others for an official competition world premiere of their modernist epic ‘Megalopolis’.
A modern American version of a classic historical Roman fable set in the futuristic city of “New Rome”, where an idealist artist/architect who dreams of transforming the city into a utopia clashes with the powerful mayor who wants to maintain the existing corrupt and divisive state of affairs, while his daughter develops a relationship with his rival and is caught in the middle. ‘Megalopolis’ has no current UK or US dates yet.
Megalopolis press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Bird
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The day’s second official competition film was a modern British drama affair which brought English writer/director and Cannes regular Andrea Arnold back to the festival for the premiere of her personal homegrown meditation on modern working-class Britain ‘Bird’.
A contemporary character drama set in Kent, where an economically disadvantaged youngster on the cusp of adolescence lives with his brother and troubled single dad, whose absence leads the tween to seek attention and adventure elsewhere, where he meets a man who changes the course of his life. Arnold was joined on the red carpet by her stars Barry Keoghan, Jason Buda, Carlos O’Connell, Jasmine Jobson, Franz Rogowski, Nykiya Adams and Frankie Box, ‘Bird’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Bird press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
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Thursday’s big out-of-competition screening saw Chinese cinema and classic Hong Kong action grace the Riviera red carpet when director Soi Cheang brought along his stars Tony Wu Tsz-Tung, Man Kit Cheung, Louis Koo Tin-lok, Raymond Lam and Terrance Lau Chun Him for the screening of their period crime action/thriller ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’. Set in Hong Kong of the 1980s under British rule, where a troubled young immigrant seeks refuge from a powerful Triad boss in the lawless enclave of Kowloon Walled City, as he forms a bond with fellow outcast locals as they prepare to face the impending invasion of the crime lord with plans for them and their outlaw refuge. ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ is out now in China, with no UK or US dates yet.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Friday the 17th
Kinds of Kindness
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The first Friday this year was a busy day for the official competition which saw no less than three screenings for Palme d’Or contenders, the pick of which brought father of the “Greek Weird Wave” turned Hollywood darling Yorgos Lanthimos back to the Riviera, as he swiftly follows up the success of ‘Poor Things’ by reuniting with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, adding Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer and Ed Guiney to the mix and bringing them all to the Cannes red carpet for the world premiere of ‘Kinds of Kindness’.
A provocative and at times shocking US anthology dramedy with an ensemble cast playing multiple roles each, following the lives of contemporary Americans; like the man desperate to break free from his oppressive path and take control, the a woman searching for a prophesied spiritual leader, and the cop struggling with the return of his lost wife now changed. ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is out on the 21st of June in US cinemas, and on the 28th of June in the UK.
Kinds of Kindness press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Oh, Canada
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The day’s second official competition screening was another American affair which brought yet another veteran Hollywood heavyweight to the festival this year, as Paul Schrader walked the red carpet with his stars Richard Gere and Uma Thurman among others for the premiere of their reflective US drama ‘Oh, Canada’. An adaptation of the Russell Banks novel ‘Foregone’ focused on a tormented writer/filmmaker at the end of his life, who decides to depart on a clean slate by recollecting his entire life and correcting the myths surrounding it, whilst shining a light on his fleeing to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War draft. ‘Oh, Canada’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Oh, Canada press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Three Kilometres to the End of the World (Trei Kilometri Pana la Capatul Lumii)
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The third official competition premiere of the day brought Romanian cinema back to the festival as actor turned filmmaker Emanuel Parvu made his Cannes directorial debut and brought along his stars Laura Vasiliu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Vlad Brumaru, Valeriu Andriuta and Ingrid Berescu for the screening of their contemporary trauma drama ‘Three Kilometres to the End of the World’. Set in a conservative rural Romanian community where a teenager’s coming-of-age is plunged into turmoil by his sexuality and a fateful night when he is brutally attacked on the street, putting his relationship with his parents at risk while the tranquillity of the local community is disrupted. ‘Three Kilometres to the End of the World’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Three Kilometres to the End of the World press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Saturday the 18th
Emilia Perez
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The start of the first weekend at the festival this year saw a return to the Riviera for veteran French writer/director and Cannes regular Jacques Audiard, whom after transitioning to North American cinema with 2018’s American Western ‘The Sisters Brothers’ heads south of the border to modern day Mexico for his character crime drama and unconventional LGBTQ+ meditation, bringing the festival faithful the official competition premiere of ‘Emilia Perez’.
The tale of a jaded Mexican lawyer tired of a career defending criminals and helping them evade justice, who unexpectedly finds a way out when a feared cartel boss hires her to get him out of a life of crime and help him realise a lifelong dream—becoming a woman. Audiard was flanked on the Cannes red carpet by his stars Selena Gomez, Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Edgar Ramirez and Adriana Paz, ‘Emilia Perez’ is out on the 28th of August in France, with no UK or US dates yet.
Emilia Perez press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Caught by the Tides (Feng Liu Yi Dai)
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The second of the day’s official competition screenings brought mainland Chinese cinema to the Riviera as writer/director and Cannes veteran Jia Zhang-Ke returned to the festival alongside his stars Zhou You, Guan Hu, Liang Jing, Eddie Peng and Tong Liya for the premiere of their 21st century love story character study and portrait of modern China ‘Caught by the Tides’. Spanning the first two decades of this century, following a couple whose romance is cut short when he leaves her abruptly headed for the big city, and she later embarks on a journey to track him down years after, discovering a country rapidly economically and socially transformed from when their love story first began. ‘Caught by the Tides’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Caught by the Tides press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Rumours
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The pick of Saturday’s out-of-competition screenings was a Canadian affair which brought experimental filmmakers and frequent directorial collaborators Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin to the Riviera red carpet for the premiere of their satirical and surrealist dark comedy ‘Rumours’.
A socio-political black comedy revolving around seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies, meeting at their annual G7 summit to address an evolving global crisis only to get lost in the deep dark local woods, where they face a transcendental danger as they struggle to get out . . . with farcical consequences. The co-directors where joined by their stars Denis Menochet, Rolando Ravello and Cate Blanchett, ‘Rumours’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Rumours press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Sunday the 19th
The Substance
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Sunday’s official competition proceedings brought upcoming French writer/director Coralie Fargeat to the Riviera for her Cannes debut with her sophomore effort after making waves with her 2018 thriller debut with ‘Revenge’, as she brought along her stars Dennis Quaid, Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore for the premiere of their French-American horror/thriller ‘The Substance’.
A warning parable about the search for eternal youth and perfection, set in a near future where a new product offers the chance for people generate a version of themselves superior in every way, the only caveat is that you must live your life in perfect balance with this alternative self and divide time between you and it in alternate weeks—what could possible go wrong? ‘The Substance’ has no confirmed dates yet.
The Substance press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Limonov: The Ballad
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After returning to the festival last year after years of politically-motivated prosecution and house arrest in his native country, Russian writer/director and Cannes regular Kirill Serebrennikov once again graced the red carpet in official competition mode, joined by his stars Andrey Burkovskiy, Corrado Invernizzi, Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Ben Whishaw and Tomas Arana for the premiere of their biographical portrait of a notorious artistic and political rebel ‘Limonov: The Ballad of Eddie’.
A a dramatic take on the life of Eduard Limonov—adapted by Serebrennikov and Pawel Pawlikowski from the Emmanuel Carrère novel—chronicling the Soviet/Russian writer, poet, activist, political leader and criminal’s life and dissident activities whilst exiled in the US and France during the ’70s and ’80s, before his return to Russia after the fall of the iron curtain to become a controversial political agitator with iconoclastic and nationalistic tendencies which shook up the establishment. ‘Limonov: The Ballad’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Limonov: The Ballad press conference (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
Horizon: An American Saga
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The first week’s big out-of-competition gala screenings culminated on Sunday with a return to Cannes for modern Hollywood legend and American old west devotee Kevin Costner, who graced the Riviera red carpet in writer/director/star mode alongside his stars Alejandro Edda, Hayes Costner, Jena Malone, Georgia MacPhail, Sienna Miller, Ella Hunt, Wasé Chief, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Isabelle Fuhrman and Luke Wilson for the premiere of their their epic cinematic portrait of the American frontier ‘Horizon: An American Saga’.
An ensemble two-part mid-19th century chronicle of the American old west, revolving around the lives of multiple settlers, pioneers and native tribes in the American frontier, which intersect in the plains and towns of an expanding pre and post-Civil War USA as they struggle to establish roots among hardship and overcome obstacles in a rapidly changing new nation. Part one ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’ is out in the UK and US on the 28th of June.
Horizon: An American Saga red carpet (courtesy of Festival de Cannes)
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