Before making a trip down the French Riviera to talk shop about cinema, be sure to get acquainted with the films screening at the festival first. There are 17 films to be exact, but more will be added to the lineup whenever the festival directors please, even at the last hour before screening. Lucky you, for scoring invites to the exclusive event.
On a separate note, the festival is currently enshrouded in a battle with Netflix. The organisers insist films must receive a theatrical release in France to qualify, and Netflix responded to the challenge by pulling out five titles in various categories. Here we thought the Americans and French are still engaged in the spat over the origin of French fries. No loss for us uninvited folks (more Netflix and chill then), here are five très bien films to look out for at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival 2018.
BlacKkKlansman
Visionary director Spike Lee is back with a vengeance after 20 years. In 1989, he lost his grip on the Palme d’Or with Do the Right Thing. His bio-thriller BlacKkKlansman has a heavyweight title and an even heavier topic – racism in modern America. Produced by Jordan Peele and his team behind Academy Award-winning Get Out, the film stars Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), That ‘70s Show alum Topher Grace, and John David Washington. Based on Ron Stallworth’s biographical novel of the same name, the film follows a black police officer’s journey to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado.
Under the Silver Lake
Under the Silver Lake is a neo-noir comedy directed by David Robert Mitchell starring Hacksaw Ridge Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, and Topher Grace. From the trailer, one might get thrown off with the number of cinema genres thrown into the mix, as Garfield goes on a bizarre quest combing through clues all over the City of Angels to find the neighbour he has fallen in love with. He ends up being involved with dog killers, homeless gurus, sex workers, celebrities, billionaires, urban myths, and pop culture. Murky and scandalous, the plot thickens with the trappings of a classic mystery.
Everybody Knows
Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s psychologically-nuanced thriller Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben) will have the honour of opening Cannes Film Festival 2018. The Iranian director, whose movie The Salesman won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film last year, focuses his storytelling on the social struggles faced by his audience every day, thus the huge fanbase in Iran. His past films are also known for championing issues relating to marriage woes, the hidden brutality of class, domestic violence, and the harsh reality of a modernising society. Starring real-life husband and wife Javier Bardem (Mother!) and Penélope Cruz (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), the movie centres on the couple’s attendance at a wedding in Madrid when their daughter is put in danger. Everybody Knows marks the second Spanish-language film to open Cannes following Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education.
Girls of the Sun
Girls of the Sun stars Golshifteh Farahani (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Emmanuelle Bercot, and French luminary Julie Delpy (Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise trilogy) as a group of female resistance fighters taking back their Kurdish town from extremists. The film is an inspiring portrait of sisterhood, resistance, and bravery. Director Eva Husson’s inspiration for the film came after reading about real-life Kurdish women who were taken hostage by Islamic State fighters but managed to escape and take up arms against their former captors.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
An odd choice to debut at Cannes, Solo: A Star Wars Story is that marquee film screening to add gloss to the festival. Fans will show up to catch Alden Ehrenreich’s take on the titular character of Han Solo previously played by Harrison Ford. Fans are also curious to know if director Ron Howard had steered the film on the right path after a troubling production delay. Whichever the case, the force will be strong at the box office.
The Cannes Film Festival will run from May 8 to 19, 2018.
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