I’m currently reading Thierry Fremaux’s rambling but, nevertheless, fascinating “Selection Officielle.” There are a lot of interesting stories that I’ll most likely tackle in a review at a later date.
However, I couldn’t help, but fast-track this little tidbit from one of the later chapters of the book. In it, Fremaux reveals that one of his biggest regrets was rejecting Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” in 2008.
If she is not a Cannes-stamped filmmaker then it is entirely our fault. Bigelow screened “The Hurt Locker” for us and we didn’t take it. The version we were shown was not a final cut, we were in the final days of selecting our lineup, we were very tired and we just said no. On top of the podium of the worst decisions we’ve ever made is “The Hurt Locker.”
Bigelow’s film would go on to be selected by Venice a few months later and eventually win the Best Picture Oscar. Fremaux admits being so let down by his decision that he personally reached out to Bigelow a few years after and even offering her a spot on the Cannes jury.
Truth be told, I don’t think anyone saw “The Hurt Locker” coming. It premiered in the fall of 2008 at Venice, where it won no awards, and then in Toronto. It was only released in the US during the summer of 2009 to rapturous reviews. Many still debate whether it was a worthy winner. I personally love the film.