2018 Cannes Film Festival unveils lineup

Vecdi Sayar – CANNES

The number one festival in world cinema, the Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 8 to May 19, unveiled the official selection for its 71st edition on April 12 in Paris at a press conference attended by Cannes Festival president Pierre Lescure and director Thierry Fremaux. 

Fremaux said the films were selected after 1,900 films were viewed. So far, the selection includes 18 titles, but the festival’s director announced that a few other titles may be added to the selection. The festival’s opening film is Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “Everybody Knows,” starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. The film will compete for the Golden Palm award, which is the highest prize awarded, and will be given by a jury chaired by Cate Blanchett. 

The international film competition includes titles from Europe and the United States, as well as the Far East (Japan, China, and Korea), Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Selected titles are “Dogman” by Matteo Garrone, “Lazzaro Felice” by Alice Rohrwacher, “Le Livre de’Image” by Jean-Luc Godard, “Ash is Purest White” by Chinese director Jia Zhank-Ke, “Netemo Sametemo (Asako I & II) by Rysuke Hamaguchi, “Capernaüm“ by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “Three Faces,” “Buh-ning” (Burning) by Lee Chang-Dong, “Shoplifters” by Kore-Eda Hirokazu, “Cold War” by Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, “Yomeddine” a first film by Egyptian director A.B. Şavki, and “Leto” by Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov. 

French films in the competition include “Girls of the Sun” by Eva Husson, “Sorry Angel” by Christophe Honore, and “At War” by Stephane Brize. American titles include “Black Klansman” by Spike Lee and “Under the Silver Lake” by David Robert Mitchell. 

Film and freedom 

Fremaux mentioned that the Cannes Film Festival has always been a land for creation and freedom. Thus, two directors who have had serious problems with the political authorities of their countries, Jafar Panahi and Kirill Serebrennikov, appear in this year’s competition. 

The official selection includes other titles in the non-competitive section, among which appears the last of Star Wars series: “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Special screenings at the festival include a tribute to Carlos Diegues, Romain Goupil and Daniel Cohn-Bandit’s documentary “La Traversee,” and Wim Wenders documentary “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word.” For the midnight screenings, horror movies from the Far East will be screened as usual. This year’s festival poster has a picture of Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo from Godard’s film “Pierrot le Fou.” 

A certain glance 

The official selection also includes the Un Certain Regard section, which covers a large panorama of world cinema. A jury chaired by Benicio del Toro will give the Un Certain Regard award. Films coming from countries whose films do not appear in the competition, such as Morocco, India, Syria, and South Africa are selected for this section. So far, the only Turkish film at the festival is Aslı Özge’s new project “Black Box,” selected for the Cinefondation’s Atelier (film development fund). 

The Golden Camera award for a first film (opera prima) will be given to a picture that appears in the official sections of the festival, by a jury presided by Swiss director Ursula Meier. Another jury presided by French director Bertrand Bonello will give a Golden Palm, for the best short film and choose the best student film from the Cinefondation selection. 

Selections from other sections, International Critics’ Week organized by the French Film Critics Syndicate and the Directors’ Fortnight organized by the French Directors Union, will be announced at a later date, as well as additional titles for the international competition. So far, the most recent films by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Mike Leigh, Paolo Sorrentino, and Carlos Reygadas do not appear in the selection. It is possible one or more of these films may be added to the selection.