Chance of the selection or will of the organizers? It is undoubtedly a combination of these two factors, but the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which starts this Tuesday May 16 (until May 27), will be marked by a strong presence of North American stars.
From the first climb of the steps, Tuesday evening, at least three will be visible: Michael Douglas, for a special tribute, Johnny Depp, who portrays Louis XV in “Jeanne du Barry”, the opening film by Maïwenn, and Brie Larson, the interpreter of “Captain Marvel”, member of the jury of the competition.
The next day, Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”, “The Last of Us”…) and Ethan Hawke, starring in “Strange Way of Life”, a medium-length film by Pedro Almodovar, will take over. Thursday, it will be the turn of another Hollywood legend to walk the red carpet: Harrison Ford, 80, back on the Croisette to present “Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny” out of competition.
On the same day, another sacred monster will be present in competition: Sean Penn for “Black Flies” by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. On May 20, place for a dream poster: Martin Scorsese and his two actors, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, will come to show “Killers of the Flower Moon” out of competition. The same evening, fans will be able to collect autographs from Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, stars in competition in “May December”, by Todd Haynes.
Monday, May 22 will see the highly anticipated arrival of Canadian singer and actor The Weeknd, who is now asking to be called by his real name, Abel Tesfaye, and will come to show episodes of the series “The Idol”, where he shares the bill with Lily-Rose Depp.
The next day, director Wes Anderson arrives with “Asteroid City” and its bewildering string of stars: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Matt Dillon, Margot Robbie…
The French in the spotlight
Will the French manage to exist in this opulence of American stars? Yes because, in all sections, great representatives of our national cinema are already ironing evening dresses and tuxedos. Following the example of Chiara Mastroianni, mistress of ceremonies, Julia Ducournau and Denis Ménochet, members of the competition jury, Audrey Diwan, president of the Critics’ Week jury, Benoît Magimel, present in several films, Virginie Efira and Melvil Poupaud, on the poster of “Love and the forests”, by Valérie Donzelli…
Without forgetting Marion Cotillard, Juliette Binoche, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Elsa Zylberstein, Léa Drucker, Karin Viard or Guillaume Canet, through films presented in the various selections.
Selections whose screenings are not accessible to the non-accredited public, who will be able to enjoy free screenings at the Cinéma de la Plage each evening. With an enticing program this year: preview of “Flo”, the fiction dedicated to the navigator Florence Arthaud, tribute to Jean-Pierre Bacri with “le Sens de la fête” and “l’Été en pente douce”, or even “Thelma and Louise”, by Ridley Scott, or “La Fureur du dragon”, in homage to Bruce Lee… Big atmosphere assured.
