Mike Leigh on Cannes & Venice Rejecting ‘Hard Truths': “We Thought We Had Made A Rubbish Film"

Mike Leigh, Oscar-nominated five times for writing and twice for directing (“Secrets & Lies,” “Vera Drake”) doesn’t want to retire, and why should he? Despite the recent loss of his great DP (Dick Pope), Leigh feels like he might have a few more films left in the tank.

Back in October, Leigh shared that he didn’t have enough money to make his next film. He’s now telling Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast that financing seems to have been secured and that although it’s “not much” money, the next film will get made “on the same scale of Hard Truths.”

These last 12 months have been a whirlwind for Leigh. “Hard Truths” was initially rejected by Cannes, Venice and Telluride before finally settling on a Toronto premiere. These rejections were odd considering the film ended up receiving great acclaim (88 on Metacritic), and its star, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, has practically swept acting awards with critics groups.

Leigh was a guest on Scott Feinberg’s Awards Chatter podcast and tackled the rejections, particularly Cannes which was a place that had previously welcomed him with open arms:

“Naked” was successful [at Cannes], and then “Secrets & Lies” won the Palme d’Or. We were there with “All Or Nothing” and “Another Year” […] Then subsequently, they did turn down “Peterloo” and “Hard Truths,” and so did Venice and Telluride. We spent the first half of the last year thinking we made a rubbish film.

Man, do you blame Leigh for having doubts about “Hard Truths” after this ordeal? Of course, his film isn’t rubbish, it’s actually pretty damn great. It should have absolutely been part of last year’s Cannes, especially with some of the weaker films that ended up in competition during the 2024 edition (“Beating Hearts,” “Limonov,” “The Shrouds,” “Marcello Mio,” “Motel Destino,” “Parthenope,” “Three Kilometers,” “Oh, Canada”).

Same goes for Venice and Telluride. What in the hell happened exactly? Feinberg hints at racism, but Leigh quickly replies “I don’t know.” Whatever the case may be, the iconic British filmmaker has had the last laugh with this one.