The Cannes Film Festival wrapped up its 76th edition earlier this week in the south of France by awarding its top prize, the Palme d’Or, to Justine Triet for her film “Anatomy of a Fall.” The psychological thriller stars the German actress Sandra Hüller who plays a best selling author accused of being involved in the mysterious circumstances surrounding her husband’s death. It marks only the third time a female director has won the Palme, the first being Jane Campion in 1993 for “The Piano” and the second being Julia Ducournau when her film “Titane” won just two years ago.
Seven films out of the 21 that appeared in this year’s official competition were by women directors. This doesn’t include any of the selection in the festival’s sidebars such as Un Certain Regard, which honored Molly Manning Walker’s movie “How To Have Sex” with its top award. That film features three teenage girls who go on a summer-fling holiday to drink, go clubbing and hook up with as many people as possible, which isn’t as much fun as they all had hoped.
Both “Anatomy of a Fall” and “How To Have Sex” were audience favorites at this year’s festival along with another film starring Hüller, “The Zone of Interest,” from British director Jonathan Glazer. Loosely based on a Martin Amis novel the movie is set during World War II and revolves around the Nazi commandant in charge of Auschwitz. Rather than go inside the infamous concentration camp the film portrays a blissful home life with his wife and children as they live next door, literally, to the horrors taking place offscreen. Meanwhile, Glazer’s main character becomes caught up in office politics and the quotidian tasks that give new meaning to the phrase banality of evil.
While I will predict now that “The Zone of Interest” will be nominated for an Academy Award, perhaps even Best Picture, the bigger unknown is whether anyone will ever see the film in a movie theatre. To be sure, the German language film will be released by A24 in the United States and it has sold the movie to a number of international territories. However the question over what the commercial prospects are for smaller dramatic titles in the current global market is one that hung over this year’s Cannes Film Festival and its associated market, the Marché du Film.
The uncertain future for smaller more dramatic fare didn’t keep buyers away from the Marché, with organizers reporting record attendance topping pre-COVID registration figures. Buyers gobbled up films like “Anatomy of a Fall,” which was picked up by Neon for distribution in the U.S. and Picturehouse Entertainment for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Actually, Picturehouse was quite busy in Cannes this year, acquiring three additional hot competition titles; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses” and Tran Anh Hung’s “The Pot-Au-Feu.”
“Pot-Au-Feu” was justifiably described positively as “food porn” by some film critics, most of whom wrote glowing reviews. The French film, a period piece about a master chef and his cook, was strong enough to win Hung the festival’s prize for best director. In an ideal world, it is the kind of film that could help bring older audiences into cinemas, even if they have to read subtitles.
In fact, if there is one theory that the Cannes Film Festival helped debunk over the past five years, it is that audiences won’t show up at movie theatres for a film with subtitles. In 2019, the South Korean movie “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or at the festival before going on to win the Oscar for Best Picture on its way to over USD $250 million in global box office. So perhaps the many noteworthy titles at selected for Cannes this year, and there were many I’ve not mentioned, will find their audiences when they make their way into cinemas around the world.
Unfortunately, Todd Haynes latest effort, “May December” might only get a limited theatrical release in North America since Netflix acquired the film for a reported USD $11 million. The film stars Julianne Moore as an older woman married to a young man she originally seduced when he was 13. Natalie Portman plays an actress doing research for a movie about the illicit affair. If one needed an indication about the appetite of streaming services for smaller films, Netflix’s deal for “May December” during Cannes is surely representative that the acquisition frenzy of previous years has cooled. Whereas once the company would have purchased worldwide rights, it is now being more cautious by limiting its exposure to North America.
Of course, auteur films aren’t the only titles Cannes selects to premiere at the Palais des Festivals. Most moviegoers around the world undoubtedly saw the headlines generated by the handful of Hollywood studio titles the festival often programs to bring some star power to the Croisette. This year “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” starring Harrison Ford and Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of “Killers of the Flower Moon” featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, both bowed at the festival to standing ovations of various lengths.
Though perhaps audiences were simply relieved to be standing at all given the average running time of films at this year’s festival was well over two hours with at least four being over three hours long.
Film Festivals
“Anatomy of a Fall” Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival
The 2023 Festival de Cannes came to a conclusion on Saturday, 27 May, when the jury for this year’s main competition selections announced the winners for several categories, awarding the Palme d’Or, the event’s top prize, to “Anatomy of a Fall” from director Justine Triet. The film is is a Hitchcockian psychological drama starring German actress Sandra Hüller, playing a best selling author who must prove her innocence in the mysterious death of her husband.
Going into the awards ceremony Jonathan Glazer’s stark “The Zone of Interest” was heavily favored to win the Palme d’Or by those who had seen it. Instead, the jury presented the film with the Grand Prix award, which is generally considered second place. “Zone of Interest” is a period piece centered around the commandant running the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II. The action never enters the camp itself but focuses on the commandant’s family as they build a bucolic home life adjacent to the horrors taking place over their garden wall in Auschwitz.
Director Ruben Östlund was the president of this year’s Cannes Film Festival jury, having won the Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness.” He confessed that it was not easy for the jury to pick winners from the 21 films in competition, a good number of which were well over two hours. “I think all of us had to really fight for what we believed was the right film and the competition was hard,” said the filmmaker.
Source: Celluloid Junkie
Film Festivals
International Distributors Called Out at Cannes For Selling Films to Russia
Ukraine’s cinema union has issued an open letter urging participants at the Cannes Film Market to cease all business dealings with Russia. The letter, written by the Ukrainian League of Cinemas, argues that releasing films in Russia is tantamount to supporting terrorism due to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine. The letter specifically mentions prominent international indie distributors and sales agents like Lionsgate, STXInternational, FilmNation, A24, and Pathé, whose films have been released in Russia since the conflict began. It emphasizes that doing business in Russia means indirectly funding the destruction of Ukrainian cities and the loss of lives. The letter calls on filmmakers and distributors to reconsider their relationships with Russian counterparts and refrain from supporting terrorist organizations and undermining global security.
Despite major Hollywood studios pulling their releases from Russian theaters following the Ukraine invasion, over 140 U.S. films were still released in the country last year, according to Russia’s Cinema Fund. Some international films, such as “John Wick: Chapter 4” from Lionsgate and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” from A24, have continued to perform well at the Russian box office. The contracts for many of these films were signed before the conflict began, while others make their way to Russian cinemas through convoluted routes involving subsidiaries of Russian distribution companies based elsewhere or third-party distributors. While such arrangements may be legal if no sanctioned entities are involved, there are concerns that they enable foreign companies to profit from the Russian market while evading scrutiny.
The open letter highlights the financial allure of continuing to trade with Russia but stresses the ethical considerations at play. It points out that the war in Ukraine has entered its second year, and the recent deadly missile attacks on Kyiv serve as a reminder of the dire situation. The cinema union reminds Cannes Market participants that both the European Parliament and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, suggesting that selling films in Russia could be seen as supporting terrorism. The union appeals to film producers, companies, and world sales agents to sever ties with Russian film companies until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the establishment of a just peace.
Source: Variety
Film Festivals
France to Make Major Investment In Film Production Capacity
The French cinema industry is set to receive a significant boost as the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul-Malak, unveiled an investment plan of EUR €350 million (USD $376 million) at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This plan, titled “The Great Factory of the Image,” aims to address the French film industry’s needs and foster its future growth.
The government’s objective is to attract more film shoots to France, particularly foreign productions. To achieve this, the investment will focus on developing film sets and establishing new animation studios. The Ministry of Culture has already selected 68 projects across various regions, with priority given to Hauts-de-France, Île-de-France, and the Arc Mediterranean.
Furthermore, the investment will be utilized to support training initiatives aimed at nurturing talent within the industry. The plan intends to enhance existing schools and establish new ones to cater to the growing demand for screenwriters, technicians, and producers. Minister Abdul-Malak emphasized the importance of these professions, noting their significant development within the industry, in her speech in Cannes at the start of the festival.
Overall, the investment plan for French cinema emphasizes the French government’s commitment to nurturing the industry’s growth and attracting international productions. By developing infrastructure, supporting training programs, and acknowledging the potential of animation, France aims to strengthen its position as a prominent player in the global cinema landscape.
However, the Senate’s Culture, Education and Communication Committee published a report at the same time called “Cinema counter-attack: between resilience and cultural exception, a major art with a future”, in which it leveled criticism at the current film funding and support mechanisms and called for a major overhaul.
Source: France Info
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