As hinted yesterday, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid's upcoming feature film, “YES!,” has now officially been selected for Directors’ Fortnight (La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Lapid seems to have opted for DF instead of Locarno or Venice.
The story follows Y, a jazz musician grappling with financial hardship, and his wife, Jasmine, a dancer. Together, “they sell not only their art but also their souls and bodies to the elite, offering fleeting pleasure and solace to a wounded nation.” Their lives take a dramatic turn when Y is entrusted with a task of profound significance: composing a new national anthem.
Lapid's cinematic journey began with his debut feature, “Policeman” (2011), which earned the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival and is my favorite film of his. He gained further recognition with “The Kindergarten Teacher” (2014); “Synonyms” (2019), which won the Golden Bear at Berlin; and, in 2021, “Ahed's Knee,” which received the Jury Prize at Cannes.
The good news is that Cuarón is only writing “Ascension,” meaning he won’t be tied up with directing duties and should still have room in his schedule for a long-awaited return to cinema.