Directors of Blue Ruin, A Christmas Tale to unveil new films at Cannes’ parallel fests
Last week, the programmers of the Cannes Film Festival announced this year’s lineup of competition films and special screenings, and as usual, it’s a doozy. But here’s the really cool thing about Cannes: It’s actually three film festivals scheduled on top of each other. While stars and onlookers alike gather for the official selections, two separate cinema summits—Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week—are held just down the street. Now both of these parallel fests have unveiled their lineups, and while they lack the sheer volume of heavy hitters Cannes proper always draws, they provide a reminder that there’s plenty to see outside of the Palais. (Last year, for example, It Follows premiered in Critics’ Week, while Whiplash made the Directors’ Fortnight cut.)
As programmers revealed today, Directors’ Fortnight will open with In The Shadow Of Women, a new film from revered French director Philippe Garrel, and close with the Sundance smash Dope. In between, Cannes attendees will be able to catch new films from Blue Ruin director Jeremy Saulnier (whose Green Room, starring Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart, pits punks against neo-Nazis); Tabu director Miguel Gomes (whose Arabian Nights is a three-part, six-hour epic); and A Christmas Tale director Arnaud Desplechin (whose My Golden Years finds Mathieu Amalric reprising the role he played in My Sex Life…Or How I Got Into An Argument). The festival will also host a special screening of Takashi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld, which sure sounds like a Takashi Miike film.
Meanwhile, Critics’ Week, which announced its lineup yesterday, will screen the directorial debut of a different Garrel: Philippe’s son, Louis, whose Les Deux Amis appears out of competition. The festival focuses exclusively on first and second features, meaning that many of the selected movies are from basically unknown filmmakers. The fest is scheduled to commence with The Anarchists, starring Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue Is The Warmest Color) and directed by Elie Wajeman (Aliyah). Also included: KRISHA, which won a major award at SXSW this year.
Finally, the full jury that will select winners from Cannes’ official competition slate has also been revealed. In addition to previously announced presidents Joel and Ethan Coen, this esteemed group of deciders will include Sienna Miller, Guillermo Del Toro, recent Cannes winner Xavier Dolan, and Jake Gyllenhaal. The A.V. Club will again be in attendance this year, offering thoughts on films screened at all three festivals, as well as inevitable complaints about what that above jury chooses to honor. Look for daily dispatches beginning on May 14.