Some real out-of-left-field surprises showed up in today’s announcement of the Cannes Film Festival lineup.
Films that weren’t predicted from filmmakers such as Tran Anh Hung, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, Wang Bing, Karim Ainouz and Wim Wenders snuck into official competition. Bing’s film is the ubiquitous doc that everyone was buzzing about, the first non-fiction film to compete for the Palme d’Or since 2004
Notably absent were Alexander Payne, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jeff Nichols, Michel Franco, Lisandro Alonso, Robin Campillo, Matteo Garrone and Woody Allen. Many of these will likely go to Venice now.
Then again, Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux promised late additions. There are currently 19 films in competition, 3 of them French, which gives him some wiggle room to add two more titles.
Still, this will be a 76th edition filled with big names, most anticipated of all are Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Glazer, Wes Anderson, Alice Rohrwacher and Todd Haynes.
Opening Night
“Jeanne du Barry,” Maïwenn (Out of Competition)
In Competition
“Club Zero,” Jessica Hausner
“The Zone of Interest,” Jonathan Glazer
“Fallen Leaves,” Aki Kaurismaki
“Four Daughters,” Kaouther Ben Hania
“Asteroid City,” Wes Anderson
“Anatomie d’Une Chute,” Justine Triet
“Monster,” Hirokazu Kore-eda
“The Sun of the Future,” Nanni Moretti
“La Chimera,” Alice Rohrwacher
“About Dry Grasses,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan
“L’Ete Dernier,” Catherine Breillat
“The Passion of Dodin Bouffant,” Tran Anh Hung
“Rapito,” Marco Bellocchio
“May/December,” Todd Haynes
“Firebrand,” Karim Ainouz
“The Old Oak,” Ken Loach
“Banel et Adama,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy
“Perfect Days,” Wim Wenders
“Jeunesse,” Wang Bing
Un Certain Regard
“The Delinquents,” Rodrigo Moreno
“How to Have Sex,” Molly Manning Walker
“Goodbye Julia,” Mohamed Kordofani
“The Buriti Flower,” Joao Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora
“Simple Comme Sylvain,” Monia Chokri
“Kadib Abyad (The Mother of All Lies),” Asmae El Moudir
“The Settlers,” Felipe Galvez
“Omen,” Baloji Tshiani
“The Breaking Ice,” Anthony Chen
“Rosalie,” Stephanie di Giusto
“The New Boy,” Warwick Thornton
“If Only I Could Hibernate,” Zoljargal Purevdash
“Hopeless,” Kim Chang-hoon
“Terrestrial Verses,” Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami
“Rien a Perdre,” Delphine Deloget
“Les Meutes,” Kamal Lazraq
“La Regne Animal,” Thomas Cailley
Special Screenings
“Pictures of Ghosts,” Kleber Mendonca Filho
“Anselm,” Wim Wenders
“Occupied City,” Steve McQueen
“Man in Black,” Wang Bing
Cannes Premieres
“Le Temps D’Aimer,” Katell Quillevere
“Cerrar Los Ojos,” Victor Erice
“Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe,” Martin Provost
“Kubi,” Takeshi Kitano
Midnight Screenings
“Omar la Fraise,” Elias Belkeddar
“Kennedy,” Anurag Kashyap
“Acide,” Just Philippot
Out of Competition
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese
“The Idol,” Sam Levinson
“Cobweb,” Kim Jee-woon
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” James Mangold
I can confirm that Joel Coen’s “Jack of Spades” is based on Frances Frederica Montrésor’s 1901 novel “The Alien: A Story of Middle Age.” It’s a ghost story. A gothic mystery.