CANNES,
France — The last touches were being laid in
Cannes on Monday for the 75th anniversary edition of the world’s leading film
festival, promising a return to its full glitz.
اضافة اعلان
Dangling from ropes above the fabled Palais des
Festivals, workers were unfurling the huge poster for the Cannes Film
Festival’s golden jubilee, which this year features an image from “The Truman
Show”.
Some 35,000 film professionals are expected between
May 17 and 28, hoping for a return to form for cinema’s most glamorous event
after two years in which
COVID-19 dampened the mood.
“We are ready. The town hall has just redone
everything — the whole place — so we hope it will go well,” said Jeremie
Tripet, manager of “L’Avenue”, a bistro just off the main drag known as La
Croisette.
After Cannes was entirely canceled in 2020 and held
under strict health protocols in 2021, most of the world is expected to be
represented at this year’s event, which includes a large industry marketplace
alongside the festival.
One major exception is the absence of Russians, due
to the impact of sanctions over the war in
Ukraine and a ruling from the
organizers that state-linked delegates are not welcome.
China is also expected to have a limited presence
due to its continuing COVID-19 restrictions.
But otherwise, the festival is keen to put the
pandemic in the past, with no mandatory masks or health passes this year — and
no restrictions to partying.
Hollywood returns
The easing of pandemic
restrictions also means
Hollywood will be back in full force at Cannes.
The much-delayed blockbuster sequel “Top Gun:
Maverick” gets its European premiere on Wednesday, with Tom Cruise appearing on
the Croisette for the first time in 30 years.
One of the first stars to walk the red carpet will
be Forest Whitaker — the Oscar-winning star of “The Last King of Scotland”,
“Godfather of Harlem” and much more — who is picking up the honorary Palme d’Or
award at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Then film fans can get stuck into the usual feast of
new releases and competition entries, braving the festival’s famously
opinionated crowds, who are never shy about cheering and booing during
screenings.
There’s a lot of excitement around the Elvis Presley
biopic from Australia’s Baz Luhrmann, hoping to recreate the buzz he generated
when he brought the can-can to Cannes with “Moulin Rouge!” 20 years ago.
“Elvis”, playing out of competition, sees newcomer
Austin Butler stepping into The King’s blue suede shoes. Tom Hanks plays his infamous
manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
There are 21 films in the race for the Palme d’Or,
including the latest body-horror fable from
David Cronenberg, “Crimes of the
Future” starring Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart.
The Canadian director told IndieWire it is likely to
cause walkouts “within the first five minutes”.
There are only five women directors in the
competition, hoping to follow the success of last year’s winner, “Titane”,
which made Julie Ducournau only the second female to win the Palme.
Ukraine spotlight
The war in Ukraine will be
an inevitable talking point.
The final film by Lithuanian director Mantas
Kvedaravicius, who was killed by Russian forces in Ukraine last month, will get
a special screening.
He was shooting a follow-up to his celebrated
documentary “Mariupolis”, about the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region, when
he was reportedly captured and killed.
Ukraine’s
beleaguered filmmakers will get a special day at the industry marketplace and
one of its most promising directors,
Sergei Loznitsa, will show “The Natural
History of Destruction”, about the bombing of German cities in World War II.
The main competition also includes exiled Russian
Kirill Serebrennikov, who was unable to attend for his two previous nominations
due to a politically charged conviction for embezzlement back home.
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