Cannes Film Festival
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Cannes 2015: Five Questions for Tale of Tales Director Matteo Garrone
Italian director Matteo Garrone is no stranger to Cannes. He picked up the Grand Prix twice for his previous films Gomorrah (2008), exploring the Camorra mafia, and Reality (2012), about society’s obsession with reality TV. With his third film in competition, Garrone has once again completely switched gears, debuting his first period piece and his first film shot in English, Tale of Tales. Based on the fairytales of Giambattista Basile, the film has been the buzz of Cannes with its rich storytelling, outstanding performances, and lush cinematography. Going back to the raw and oftentimes brutal storytelling of early fairytales (Basile’s […]
by Ariston Anderson on May 18, 2015 -
Cannes 2015 Critic Notebook #1: Standing Tall, Tale of Tales, The Lobster
Could it be, six features deep at the most exalted film festival in the world, that this writer’s favorite film isn’t some scrappy Critics’ Week indie or an ennui-driven Eastern European drama of profound sociopolitical relevance — but rather, the $150-million studio juggernaut Mad Max: Fury Road? Nothing new needs to be said about the most inventive, thrilling, lyrical action flick in ages (considering it’s now opened worldwide) except that it’s radically more feminist than Emmanuelle Bercot’s Standing Tall. Cannes’ first opening night selection to be directed by a woman in nearly three decades, Bercot’s juvenile justice-system drama — a clumsy, histrionic […]
by Aaron Hillis on May 15, 2015 -
Towards the Palme d’Or: A Conversation with DP Gökhan Tiryaki On the Set of Asif Kapadia’s Ali and Nino
When you have one of the most anticipated films of the year about to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, how do you prepare? For Asif Kapadia — director of Amy, the forthcoming documentary about the British jazz singer Amy Winehouse — the answer is to direct another film. His adaptation of Kurban Said’s 1937 novel Ali and Nino is the first fictional narrative the British director has helmed since 2007’s Far North; both it and Amy are his first features since 2010’s much-admired documentary Senna. For his fictional narratives, Kapadia has made a habit of shooting in remote, unique locations. […]
by Kaleem Aftab on May 13, 2015 -
Winter Sleep, The Wonder, Dolan and Godard Take Top Prizes at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the Palme d’Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival today for, Winter Sleep, his discursive tale of ethics, love and relationships set in and around a small inn in central Anatolia. The prize was awarded by Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman in a ceremony that saw nearly all of the most critically-praised films emerge with some award or another. (Interestingly, this was the second year in a row Cannes awarded its top prize to a film over three hours in length.) Earlier in the week, Winter Sleep was also awarded the FIPRESCI prize for […]
by Scott Macaulay on May 24, 2014 -
Trailer Watch: Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Meraviglie
Conventional wisdom says to wait until a foreign trailer has subtitles before posting, but the gist is apparent enough in this first snippet from Alice Rohrwacher’s Cannes Competition entry Le Meraviglie. Set in the Umbrian countryside, the film centers on the eldest daughter of a provincial bee-keeping family, whose summer is upended by the arrival of a young German boy and local television competition, headed by none other than Monica Bellucci. Already silly/offensive conjectures are being batted around about Rohrwacher’s chances given the fact that both she and jury president Jane Campion are women, but we’ll see if they’re at all warranted in the ensuing weeks.
by Sarah Salovaara on May 7, 2014 -
2014 Cannes Lineup Announced
There were few surprises to be had at this morning’s announcement of the Competition, Un Certain Regard and Special Screenings sections for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival — perhaps barring Fremaux’s proud, misleading assurance that a whopping 15 female directors were included in the lineup, which is evidently French for eight. Familiar faces returning to the Croisette include Assayas, Cronenberg, Zvyaginstev, Bilge Ceylan, Hazanavicius, Egoyan, Loach, Leigh and the Dardennes, whose Two Days, One Night may prove to be Marion Cotillard’s successful shot at the Best Actress title, after snubs for Rust and Bone and The Immigrant. The two American titles in Competition […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Apr 17, 2014 -
Grace of Monaco to Open 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Well this is an interesting choice. After yesterday’s news that The Weinstein Company pulled Grace of Monaco from their release calendar had everyone clutching their pearls, it appears the reason behind the move is not nearly as titillating as many presumed. TWC will not release the film as scheduled in March, because it will open the Cannes Film Festival on May 14. Cannes is not necessarily a stickler for surefire quality or intelligence when it comes to their opening night selections — see The Great Gatsby, Moonrise Kingdom and Midnight in Paris — but they do tend to favor a good auteur. Grace of Monaco, however, […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Jan 24, 2014 -
Seduced and Abandoned‘s James Toback on Movies, Mortality, Shooting in Cannes, and Literally Shooting his Enemies
James Toback has to be one of the most candid individuals in the movie business. Sitting down for a chat about his new genre-defying documentary Seduced and Abandoned, which borrows its title from 1964’s Pietro Germi satire, and premieres on HBO on Monday, Oct. 28, the 68-year-old filmmaker practically blows my mind with his willingness to talk about anything and everything, from late mogul David Begelman’s psychosis and Alec Baldwin’s divorce troubles to mega-producer delusions and his own personal hit list, whose names he has every intention of crossing off before he croaks. Yes, you heard right. Utterly filterless, Toback […]
by R. Kurt Osenlund on Oct 25, 2013 -
Insider Tips for Surviving the Cannes Film Festival
For those headed to the South of France this week, Filmmaker has polled our friends and colleagues for their advice on attending the Cannes Film Festival. Even if you are not a first-timer there’s something here for you, ranging from day-trip suggestions to business etiquette to restaurant tips. If you are a first-time attendee, take these especially to heart, and if you’re a returning veteran and have tips, feel free to post them below. See you on the Croisette. Ben Gibson (director, London Film School, and producer): Been doing this advice for many years: Have a meal with someone you’ve […]
by Scott Macaulay on May 14, 2013 -
2013 Cannes Film Festival Lineup Announced
Yesterday, a relatively convincing hoax lineup was “leaked” to a few websites, which presented a tantalizing vision of what Cannes 2013 had to offer. This morning, however, the real slate has been unveiled and its actually even more stacked with big name directors and exciting films. In competition, there are the new titles from U.S. directors Steven Soderbergh (his HBO “non-film” on Liberace), Alexander Payne, James Gray and the Coen brothers, with Europe represented by films from auteurs such as Paolo Sorrentino, François Ozon, Arnaud Desplechin, Abdellatif Kechiche (The Secret of the Grain), Nicolas Winding Refn, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Roman Polanski. From […]
by Nick Dawson on Apr 18, 2013
