Cannes 76: Final Predictions [Updated]

Tomorrow is the day when my relentless spitballing ends and we get the Cannes Film Festival lineup revealed in (almost) its entirety.

You’ll have a few titles not announced, maybe 1-2 from competition, such as last year when Albert Serra’s “Pacifiction” was announced only a few days later.

What do we know?

Cristi Puiu’s “MMXX” is indeed ready. Maybe the Quinzaine sidebar snatches this one up. Given that this is such a packed year for well-renowned auteurs, I don’t think Puiu makes it in.

Bruno Dumont’s “L’Empire” is also ready, but maybe an out of competition slot awaits this expansive sci-fi film. I’m not ready to put it in competition.

A few percolating questions still remain.

Will Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” be in competition? Apple maybe wants that to happen, but I’m not so sure about Scorsese. Regardless, Cannes nabbing the world premiere of this one is a major win.

Maiwenn’s “Jeanne Du Barry” in or out of competition? There are just too many choices for Thierry Fremaux this year that I think it will end up not be vying for the Palme d’Or.

As mentioned, Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” is ready. That’s another highly anticipated film. A competition slot likely awaits this holocaust drama, the only A24 in competition.

Out of competition I currently have films by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, James Mangold, Maiwenn, Michel Gondry, Wim Wenders and Jia Zhangke, among others.Pedro Almodovar and Jean-Luc Godard will also have short films in there somewhere.

There have to be surprises, right? Out-of-left-field films that sneak in — last year Jerzy Skolimowski’s “EO” was in nobody’s predictions but ended up being, not only include, one of the most critically-acclaimed films.

This is what I have as my final predictions for official competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival ..

16 LOCKED films:

Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest
Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City”
Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things”
Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera”
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “On Barren Weeds”
Ken Loach’s “The Old Oak”
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster”
Jessica Hausner’s “Club Zero”
Victor Erice’s “Cerrar Los Ojos”
Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers”
Aki Kaurismaki’s “Dead Leaves”
Marco Bellocchio’s “La Conversione”
Ben Hania and Purev-Ochir’s “Ze”
Nanni Moretti’s “Il sol dell'avvenire”
Todd Haynes’ “May/December”
Karim Ainouz’s “Firebrand”

VERY CLOSE …

Lisandro Alonso’s “Eureka”
Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall”
Bertrand Bonello’s “The Beast”
Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders”
Robin Campillo’s “Red Island”
Catherine Breillat’s “Last Summer”
Michel Franco’s “Memory”

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Joachim Lafosse’s “Un Silence”
Matteo Garrone’s “The Captain”
Kitty Green’s “The Royal Hotel”
Valerie Donzelli‘s “Love and Forests”
Bruno Dumont “L’Empire”
Kiril Serebrenikkov’s “Limonov”
Cristi Puiu’s “MMXX”
Amat Escalante’s “El estado del imperio”
Radu Jude’s “Do Not Expect too Much”
Warwick Thornton‘s “The New Boy”
Maiwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry”
Léa Domenach’s “Bernadette”
Vanessa Filho’s “Le Consentement”
Catherine Corsini’s “Le Retour”
Andrew Haigh’s “Strangers”
Abdherrane Sissako’s “The Perfumed Hill”