Cannes Film Festival: opening applause of the 75th edition

Canceled in 2020, postponed last year to July due to strict sanitary measures, the Cannes Film Festival returns to its traditional rhythm on Tuesday, May 17, for 75^Y edition that aims to be splendid and striking.

In total, more than 35,000 moviegoers and professionals are expected in the coastal town of the Côte d’Azur, in an environment that oscillates between the stars, the cream of auteur cinema and the echoes of the war in Ukraine through various films selected.

The red carpet for this anniversary edition should be rolled out around 10:30 a.m., just in time to receive the stars and festival attendees, as well as the members of the jury, chaired by actor Vincent Lindon, who was installed this Monday at Cannes, as did Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi and Italian actress Jasmine Trinca.

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At 7 pm, the opening ceremony will be presided over by Virginie Efira, also expected on screen for her role as a survivor of an attack on See Paris again. A former television host, the actress warned on Monday that she would not ban herself “no laugh”during the event broadcast by France 2 and by Brut. “I’ll try to keep it short”she promised.

Honorary Palme d’Or for Forest Whitaker

But the international star of the evening will be Forest Whitaker, who at 60 will receive an honorary Palme d’Or for a career marked by an Oscar for his portrayal of Amin Dada, the Ugandan dictator, in the last king of scotland (2007), or his murderous role with Jim Jarmusch in ghost dog (1999). The African-American actor, who also heads a charity that fights poverty from South Sudan to Mexico via Seine-Saint-Denis, is a regular on the Croisette, where he won an acting award in 1988 for bird, by Clint Eastwood.

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The atmosphere then promises to change radically, with the inaugural screening of Cut off!, by Michel Hazanavicius, a crazy parody of zombie movies and a declaration of love for all movies, even the most unsuccessful ones.

The film, which opens simultaneously in theaters, will serve as an outlet for a movie world trying to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic: Cut off! “It’s light-hearted, it highlights people in the movies, and I hope it makes you want to do it”told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the director of The artist, ” very happy “ return to Cannes as a premiere.

A few hours earlier, festival goers will have been able to go back in time and rediscover The mom and the whore, one of the films made by the Cannes legend, in 1973. Some moviegoers will finally see it, and for the first time: half a century after causing a scandal, this great New Wave work signed by Jean Eustache had not been reissued , and had become difficult to watch due to rights issues. The film has now been restored, and two of its actors, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Françoise Lebrun, should be excited to attend its screening in Cannes, ahead of its theatrical release on June 8.

Support for Ukraine

Cannes will get into the nitty-gritty on Wednesday: On the competition side, 21 films, and 5 female directors, are vying to succeed TitaniumGore and the uncompromising Palme d’Or from France’s Julia Ducournau, the second crowned director in the Festival’s history.

A strong symbol, the official competition will begin with the screening of the latest film by Russian Kirill Serebrennikov, who breaks with the regime. He will be able to come for the first time to defend his film in person, Tchaikovsky’s wife. On the other hand, the Festival refuses to host “Russian officials, government agencies or journalists representing the official line”.

But “We will show absolute and non-negotiable support for the Ukrainian people”said, this Monday, Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the Festival, with several selected works including the posthumous film, added last week, by the Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, murdered in early April in Mariupol.

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Red carpet side, the cameras will warm up for the climb of the steps of the team of the new top gun (out of competition), including Tom Cruise, present at the Festival for the first time in three decades. Many stars will follow, until closing on May 28. Kristen Stewart, who will hit the red carpet alongside Léa Seydoux and Viggo Mortensen for David Cronenberg’s latest film (The crimes of the future)up-and-coming Austin Butler and veteran Tom Hanks aka Elvis and his manager at a biopic event (Elvis), or even Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton in the latest film by the director of mad maxGeorge Miller (Three thousand years waiting for you).

Among the directors, among the filmmakers competing for the Palm, Park Chan-wook (older boy) returns with a sulphurous investigation (decision to leave), James Gray Presents Armageddon timewith Anthony Hopkins and Anne Hathaway, while others, already medalists, will try to win a new trophy, including the Dardenne brothers (rosetta) with tori and lokita the Ruben Östlund grille (Square) with Unfiltered, or the Japanese Kore-eda (a family affair), which this time became runner with the South Korean star of ParasiteSong Kang Ho.