Established 1961 13 Lifestyle Sunday, July 4, 2021

ere are the 24 films competing for ‘Lingui’ the Palme d’Or as the Cannes Film by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Chad HFestival returns from July 6 to 17, Set in the outskirts of N’Djamena, with a jury led by US director . “Lingui” tells the story of an adolescent whose unwanted pregnancy puts her in ‘Annette’ conflict with her country’s traditions and by Leos Carax, France the law. Haroun lives in France, but most and star of his films have been produced in his as a glamorous celebrity couple whose birth country of Chad, which he left during lives are upended by the arrival of their unrest in the . first child. The first film in a decade from auteur Carax is also the first in English ‘ 13th District’ from the eccentric French mind behind by , France arthouse favourites “Holy Motors” and Audiard won the Palme in 2015 for “The Lovers on the Bridge.” “Dheepan”, but is best-known abroad for This combination of file pictures (from left, up to down) shows the Jury of the 74th Cannes Film Festival, including US director Spike Lee, “The Prophet” and “”. His French actress and director Melanie Laurent, US actress , French singer Mylene Farmer, Austrian film director Jessica ‘’ latest is based on three graphic novels by Hausner, French actor Tahar Rahim, Brazilian Director Kleber Mendonca Filho, South-Coreen actor Song Kang-ho and French movie director by , US US author Adrian Tomine and set in a Mati Diop. — AFP Film fans can never get enough of mixed neighbourhood of Paris. It features Wes Anderson, and his latest quirky four young people who are sometimes bauble can be counted on for more friends, sometimes lovers, and sometimes obsessively curated sets and shots, both. 20th-century nostalgia, family disharmo- ny and . Plus yet more megas- ‘The ’ tars in Anderson’s menagerie in the form by Joachim Lafosse, Belgium of Timothee Chalamet and Benicio Del Starring Leila Bekhti and Damien Toro, and a set-up-foreign correspon- Bonnard, the film tells the story of a cou- dents in France-that is likely to play well ple under stress due to Bonnard’s charac- with critics at Cannes. ter suffering from bipolar disorder, and he Cannes Film Festival returns , Bill Murray and many daughter Dylan. Also in the competition who do their best to protect their child. next week, promising to bury the more. Two other stars of that film-Tilda are Iran’s two-time Oscar winner Asghar ‘Benedetta’ Tlong months of darkness and soli- Swinton and Lea Seydoux-will be near- Farhadi, who returns with “A Hero”, and by , ‘The Divide’ tude under an avalanche of celebrity, ubiquitous on the Croisette, with appear- Russia’s Kirill Serebrennikov, who is From “Robocop” to “” to by Catherine Corsini, France champagne and chin-stroking arthouse ances in a remarkable eight movies unable to attend due to an embezzlement “Starship Troopers,” Dutch director Paul Two decades after her film “Replay” cinema. It is billed as nothing less than a between them. Damon is in town for the conviction that is widely seen as punish- Verhoeven has always walked a fine line entered the Cannes competition, Corsini resurrection. “Cinema is not dead!” festi- premiere of his latest thriller, the ment for criticizing Vladimir Putin. between gaudy schlock and cinematic returns with a drama about a couple stuck val supremo Thierry Fremaux declared Marseilles-set “Stillwater”. genius. His latest tale recounts a lesbian in a hospital that comes under siege dur- last month. It is the first major fully- But Cannes is all about the filmmak- Gender imbalance affair in a 17th-century convent, starring ing a violent Paris demonstration inspired fledged film festival since the pandemic, ers, and after last year’s edition was can- The panel judging the 24 entries is and . by the Yellow Vests movement. and a truckload of Hollywood stars-from celled due to the pandemic, a particularly headed by US director Spike Lee-the first Timothee Chalamet to to rich crop of festival alumni is competing time a black man has led the jury-and ‘A Hero’ -are expected on the for the Palme d’Or. Among those submit- includes “The Serpent” star Tahar Rahim by Asghar Farhadi, Iran Croisette between July 6 and 17. ting themselves to the famously blunt and US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. With Iran’s lauded director Asghar Farhadi It’s not quite a return to normal, of audiences of Cannes are several past just four female directors in the competi- has worked in multiple languages but course, even if France’s COVID numbers winners: Italy’s Nanni Moretti with his new tion, the festival’s tendency to pick the returns to his homeland for his latest, have been steadily improving and most film “Tre Piani”, France’s Jacques usual (male) suspects of the arthouse details of which are scant. He has won restrictions lifted. There will be no “bises”- Audiard (“Les Olympiades”) and elite is once again under scrutiny. Only awards all over, including Oscars for “A the French-style peck on the cheeks-at Thailand’s master of the slow-burn one woman has won the top Palme d’Or Separation” and “The Salesman”, which the top of the fabled steps to the Palais Apichatpong Weerasethakul with his prize in 73 editions of the festival: Jane also won best screenplay at Cannes. des Festivals. And some of the glitz will English-language debut (“Memoria”). Campion for “The Piano” in 1993. The be toned down, with many after-parties The opening night film is also a first in selection is more balanced in the other ‘Tout s’est Bien Passe’ (Everything cancelled and the big galas cutting their English for France’s Leo Carax, directing sections, however, with over half the Went Fine) invite lists in half to meet social distancing Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in what entries in Directors’ by Francois Ozon, France ‘The Worst Person in the World’ guidelines. is certain to be a bizarre and visually Fortnight and International Critics Week Featuring French stars Sophie by Joachim Trier, Norway Organizers are also slowly waking up arresting musical about a celebrity couple coming from women directors. Marceau and Charlotte Rampling, A film about love and its complications, to the fact that the sight of celebrities and and their mysterious child, “Annette”. US actor-director will like- France’s prolific and eclectic director Trier’s latest concludes an accidental trilo- moguls arriving on private jets and mega- Dutch shockmeister Paul Verhoeven, ly field questions on the subject as she Francois Ozon tells the story of a woman gy of Oslo-based films exploring exclusion yachts doesn’t seem so chic in an age of who made his name with Hollywood picks up an honorary Palme. There is asked by her father to help him die. and isolation. It tells the story of Julie, impending climate disaster. So this year: megahits like “Robocop” and “Basic plenty happening outside the competi- turning 30 and looking for answers in a no plastic, lots of electric cars, and most Instinct”, continues his late run of (slight- tions, including a first showing of Oliver ‘Tre Piani’ (Three Floors) new relationship, only to be let down by symbolic of all: a red carpet that is half the ly) more subtle European fare with Stone’s new documentary about the JFK by Nanni Moretti, Italy reality. size and made from recycled material. “Benedetta” about lesbian nuns in 17th assassination, updating his feature-length Exactly 20 years after winning the century Italy. conspiracy theory from 1991. That will Palme d’Or with “The Son’s Room” and ‘Hytti No 6’ (Compartment No 6) Stargazing will also be hoping for a play in the new Cannes Premiere section, years after heading the main jury at by Juho Kuosmanen, Finland But our collective need to gawp at personal resurrection after his cata- along with other intriguing documen- Cannes, Moretti is back with his first-ever Two strangers-a Finnish woman and a megastars on the Cote d’Azur will not be strophic Cannes appearance in 2016, taries: one about troubled star adaptation of a novel, which looks at gloomy Russian-share a train compart- denied. One film in this year’s competi- when his Africa-based humanitarian love (“Val”) and ’s ode to three families who live on three different ment winding its way up to the Arctic circle tion accounts for an outsize share of the story “The Last Face” was mercilessly her mother Jane Birkin (“Jane”).—AFP floors, in three chapters. in a road movie set against the backdrop celeb-count: Wes Anderson’s “The booed. He is aiming for a warmer recep- of the 1980s Soviet Union. Kuosmanen French Dispatch” includes Chalamet, tion to “Flag Day”, starring himself and his ‘Titane’ hopes to follow the success of his charm- by Julia Ducournau, France ing, low-key boxing flick, “The Happiest Starring French veteran actor Vincent Day in the Life of Olli Maki”. Lindon, “Titane” is the second feature after “Grave” by horror film specialist ‘ Beats’ Ducournau, which she reportedly wrote by Nabil Ayouch, France-Morocco Cannes director: in six weeks between two Covid-19 lock- Ayouch rocks the suburbs of downs. Casablanca with a film about young peo- ple seeking an outlet through hip-hop in The return ‘Red Rocket’ an underprivileged neighborhood made by Sean Baker, US infamous in 2003 after a group of radical- of cinema is The comedy-drama by indie filmmaker ized local youth carried out suicide bomb- Baker features Simon Rex as an over- ings in the city. the-hill porn star who returns to his ‘very moving’ hometown in Texas, where he is not very ‘Ha’Berech’ (Ahed’s Knee) welcome, and hopes to build on the suc- by Nadav Lapid, Zionist entity cess of “The Florida Project”. After winning prizes in Locarno, Cannes and Berlin for his first three head of its return on Tuesday, ‘Petrov’s Flu’ films, Lapid explores two battles waged AFP spoke to Cannes Film by Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia by an Zionist director, one against the Festival director Thierry A An alcohol-fuelled stroll by a cartoon- death of freedom and one against the Fremaux about the nail-biting build- Cannes Film Festival general delegate Thierry Fremaux speaks as he presents Cannes ist and his friend in post-Soviet Russia death of a mother, both of which are up and efforts to address criticism on 2020 Special, a mini-version of the Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals et brings back childhood memories that get doomed to failure. questions of the environment and des Congres in Cannes, southeastern France, on Oct 27, 2020. — AFP mixed up with the present. gender. precautions. It’s all very moving. pick that one. We do the same Serebrennikov is unable to attend ‘Drive My Car’ The cinema world is coming back regarding geography. Cannes is a Cannes due to a criminal conviction, by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Japan Q: It’s the first edition since the together. universalist festival. widely seen as punishment for his politi- An aging, widowed actor looking for a pandemic. Will this big get-togeth- cal views. chauffeur ends up hiring a 20-year-old er turn the page on the crisis? Q: Only four women directors Q: The festival has taken meas- woman. Things go wrong between them A: Not quite. The pandemic are in the competition, though ures to reduce its impact on the ‘France’ at first, but then a special relationship hasn’t been defeated. We have many young female talents are in environment, and put together a by Bruno Dumont, France emerges. invited the films selected in 2020 the parallel sections. Where are special program on the subject. The gritty director adapts a novel by that weren’t able to climb the stairs we on the question of gender What role can it play on the cli- Charles Peguy, killed in World War I, ‘Bergman Island’ (of the Palais des Festivals) as a equality? mate question? updating it to chart the fall from grace of by Mia Hansen-Love, France way to remember that at the start of A: Four women in the competi- A: Cannes is the biggest interna- a star TV reporter in contemporary An American film-making couple the year, nothing gave us confi- tion-I’m the first to think that it’s not tional cultural event in the world, so France. spends a summer on Faro, the windswept dence that Cannes would take enough. But in the Un Certain we aim to set an example. A team of Baltic island that inspired Ingmar place. But the organization and the Regard section, dedicated to new tal- advisors was recruited to work with ‘Nitram’ Bergman. Reality and fiction start to blur spirit are the same as a normal edi- ents, there are many more, which the festival to put in place a series of by , Australia as the weeks pass. tion. Everything is in place on the shows notable progress. There were strong measures to reinforce our Following a smash hit adaptation of technical and health front to ensure countries where there were no efforts to be responsible on green “” starring ‘A Felesegem Tortenete’ (The Story there are no problems. The selec- female directors, and even there issues. And since Cannes is first and and Marion Cotillard and a less success- of My Wife) tion is beautiful and rich. The festi- things are starting to change. Of the foremost a festival of cinema, we are ful adaptation of video game “Assassin’s by Ildiko Enyedi, Hungary val-goers, the press and all the film three Russian films selected for using films which reflect our con- Creed”, the Australian director looks at Featuring France’s Lea Seydoux, who teams will be there, as will the beau- Cannes, there is a woman director cerns: works that show how serious events leading up to the Port Arthur features in three of the films in competi- tiful jury led by Spike Lee, who is the this year. our situation is, in Asia, India, Africa, mass shooting in Tasmania that led to tion this year, Enyedi’s film kicks off with a first black man to hold the position. At Cannes, we can’t use quotas, and others; from the generation of gun control reforms. bet by a sea captain that he’ll marry the The restaurateurs and hoteliers but we can be pragmatic. The teams Greta Thunberg that recognize that it first woman who walks in. It follows can’t wait to welcome everyone. and bodies of the festival have been is today’s children who will save us ‘Memoria’ Enyedi’s win at Berlin in Artists are coming especially to be feminized. The jury is mostly women and who won’t give up. There’s a by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2017 for “On Body and Soul”. there, like Jerry Schatzberg (winner this year even if the president is a documentary about the beauty of the Thailand of the Palme d’Or in 1973), who at man. The selection committee is world, “The Velvet Queen”, and even stars in the slow-burn ‘Flag Day’ 94 is the oldest living filmmaker. We mostly women. Any time we can a “generational climate comedy” by director’s first film in English. It comes 11 by Sean Penn, US are touched that he said: “Cannes is send a signal, we do it. No film will (French actor-director) , years after he won the Palme d’Or for the Star actor Penn again steps behind the restarting, it’s our family-I want to be ever be selected on the basis of the “The Crusade”. — AFP dreamlike “Uncle Boonmee Who Can camera for a film about a conman whose there.” Festival-goers have been in director’s gender, race or religion, but Recall His Past Lives”. Shot in Colombia, daughter struggles to come to terms with France for 10 days to do the quar- if we are hesitating between two “Memoria” follows a Scottish horticulturist his choice of profession. Penn stars antine, journalists have taken their films and one is by a woman, we will as she tries to understand strange alongside his own daughter Dylan, as well sounds in the night. as .—AFP