The Cannes Film Festival Runs May 17th – 28th
Cannes is the international cinematic event that spotlights what films (and now TV) audiences we will be consuming for the rest of the year and into the next year. High profile panel discussions, the French Riviera, the red carpets, big stars, small indie film and shorts. Sometimes the little project make it big there and sometimes the big names get a dose or reality if the international audiences don’t respond to their project. But the parties are legendary and it’s every industry creative or talent’s dream to premiere or screen there. Here are a some of the chosen few:
The five films are already creating a buzz at Cannes are: The Beguiled, a thriller from director Sofia Coppola starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell; The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which also stars Kidman and Farrell; Wonderstruck, starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams; Okja, a Netflix film from Snowpiercer director Bong Joon-ho; and You Were Never Really Here, starring Joaquin Phoenix. The festival opens with Ismael’s Ghosts – a French film starring Marion Cotillard
This year we also take a look at what Latino participation will in all aspects of the festival. It’s looking promising.
Pedro Almodovar is this year’s President of the Film Jury and joining from the U.S. are Will Smith and Jessica Chastain among the eight jurors this year.
Virtual Reality Film Screening
Director Alejandro G Inarritu will present his 6 minutes 30 seconds of his film Carne y Arena, an immersive experience within an incredible Virtual Reality installation. This is the first virtual reality project to be chosen for the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival. Inarritu will also give a Masterclass, in the company of film critic Michel Ciment on Wednesday 24th May at 4:30 PM in the Buñuel screening room, during which they will discuss his career in Hollywood and Mexico.
Casting News Heard at Cannes
Fresh off an exclusive in the Hollywood Reporter, Diego Luna is signing on to star in the romance ensemble anthology film Berlin, I Love You, which consists of several segments in which Orlando Bloom and Gemma Arterton are also looking to land a spot. Patrick Dempsey and Renee Zellweger will not only star in segments of the film they will also be making their directorial debuts those segments. Luna is set play the lead in Eimbcke’s segment.
Twice at Cannes
Indie filmmaker Carlos Hurtado will be making his second appearance at Cannes this year with his short film Dear Dad, selected as part of the Cannes’ Film Festival’s Best Short Film in the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase. Dear Dad was made for Padres Contra el Cancer (Parents Against Cancer) who help children, young adults and their family battle cancer. Many of Carlos‘ short films are created for non-profit organizations.
This is the second time Hurtado was selected by Cannes. In 2015 his short film Hollygrove, the True Life Story of Monserrat, which was produced/directed by Hurtado for the 100 plus year old L.A. orphanage of the same name, was also selected by Cannes and won best short film that year.
Evette Vargas’ Digital Reign
On May 19th, the Immersive Summit will host discussions on the latest strategies for innovation and growth in virtual and augmented reality for the film industry. After a keynote by Rich Gelfond on IMAX Corporation’s innovative initiatives in VR there will be a panel discussions will joined by Angel Investor Lawrence Braitman, Technicolor’s Marcie Jastrow, Venture Capitalist Gene Munster, Nomadic’s Doug Griffin, Executive Producer Russell Levine, Digital-Reign Productions CEO Evette Vargas, THR’s European Bureau Chief Scott Roxborough, Dekker Dreyer of Clever Fox, Chris Payne of New Zealand Film Commission, and Resn’s Creative Director Kris Hermansson.
Did I miss your project at Cannes? Let me know.
On a scale of 1 – 10 I think the presence of Latinos at Cannes is COOOOOOOOList!
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