As the Cannes Film Festival approaches on 13 May, speculation is rife about the films that may be featured. Cannes, often dubbed the “Queen of Festivals”, continues to generate immense anticipation among industry professionals and media alike. The official lineup will be revealed by festival head Thierry Fremaux on 10 April, but several high-profile films are already being considered probable selections.
This year’s festival is expected to be particularly exciting. Potential contenders include Jim Jarmusch’s Father, Mother, Sister, Brother starring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague about Godard’s Breathless and the birth of the French New Wave, and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, a reimagining of Kurosawa’s High and Low with Denzel Washington. Other major films speculated to screen include Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme (a family business plot with Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson) and Eddington featuring Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix.
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Additional titles that may premiere include Gregg Araki’s erotic thriller I Want Your Sex, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, and Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology of Water. Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning might also make an appearance.
Frequent Cannes favorites like the Dardenne brothers (The Young Mother’s Home) and Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) are expected to return. Other notable prospects include Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, László Nemes’s Orphan, Mario Martone’s Fuori and Bi Gan’s sci-fi thriller Resurrection. Films like The Secret Agent, Duse, Vie Privee, Amrum and The Doctor Says I’ll Be Alright, but I’m Feelin’ Blue may also be screened.
As for India, no confirmations have been made.
The writer is a senior author and movie critic who has covered the Cannes Film Festival for over three decades
