Like every spring, the film industry celebrates with a twelve-day festival in the seaside town of southern France. This time Cannes rolls out the red carpet from May 14 to 25. Stars from many countries arrive, directors, producers, writers and of course the paparazzi’s favorite subject: actors.

Quentin Dupierre’s film comedy “Le deuxième acte” (“The Second Act”), a difficult emotional drama between four young people, is the opening film of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. French and American productions dominate this year’s main competition section, including Francis Ford Coppola’s monumental Megalopolis. The futuristic sci-fi drama with echoes of the Roman Empire is about an architect who wants to turn New York into a utopia.

A movie about Donald Trump

Also showing will be Giorgos Lanthimos’ latest work (“Kinds of Kindness”), which portrays three very different people in the US, and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez,” a musical comedy about a Mexican drug lord who wants to leave behind his past and start a new life as a woman. But “The Apprentice,” a film about Donald Trump’s career in New York in the 1980s, is also likely to attract some attention. Marvel superhero Sebastian Stan plays the future US president, while Maria Bakalova, the Oscar-nominated discovery of “Borat,” plays his wife Ivana. The film is directed by the Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi (“Border”).

Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa is presenting his new documentary ‘Invasion’ at Cannes – ten years after his documentary ‘Maidan’, which showed the Ukrainian protests that led to the overthrow of then pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Now “Invasion” is about the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. He wants to “show how the war changes the country”, says Loznitsa.

Only four films by women

Mohammed Rasulov’s Berlinale winner The Seed of the Sacred Fig will also be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. An Iranian appeals court has just sentenced the filmmaker and regime critic to eight years in prison for “conspiracy against national security.” According to his lawyer the sentence also includes whippings, a fine and confiscation of property. Rasulov was awarded the Golden Bear in 2020 for his film “There is no harm”. He was unable to receive the award because he was not allowed to leave Iran at the time.

What risks getting lost in the flash storm at Cannes: only four of the 22 films in competition were directed by women. In particular, the French actress Judith Godres presented the MeToo short film “Moi aussi”, in which she tells the story of victims of sexual violence. This year’s program does not include any German films. Also for the first time there is a competition for the so-called “immersive” projects in Cannes. These use technologies such as virtual or augmented reality, again made possible by the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Last year, the controversy over the implications of the use of artificial intelligence led to intense labor disputes in the US film industry, which was gridlocked for months.

Possible strike by cinema workers

In this year’s event there is the possibility of a strike by the workers of the sector. The union “Sous les écrans la dèche” (Behind the screens) threatens to seriously disrupt the operation of the festival. The union of projection operators, program planners, ticket sellers and guest relations staff is protesting the growing precariousness of cinema-related occupations. He also denounces the latest reforms to French unemployment insurance.

Honorary Palme d’Or to Meryl Streep

American actress Meryl Streep will be awarded the Palme d’Or for her lifetime achievement at the opening of the 77th edition of the festival. With more than 60 films she has left her mark on almost half a century of cinematographic history. Among her characteristic films are “Kramer vs Kramer”, “Out of Africa” ​​or “The Devil Wears Prada”. The 74-year-old actress has received three Oscars and 21 nominations.

She will be honored with a Palme d’Or by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, who will also celebrate his 80th birthday in Cannes. Another Palme d’Or goes to Japanese animation studio Ghibli. This year’s festival jury is chaired by director Greta Gerwig (“Barbie”). However, festival director Thierry Fremaux and his team had already organized a successful event last year: Justine Trier’s relationship drama “Anatomy of a Fall”, for example, turned out to be a convincing winning film, also thanks to an excellent German lead actress Sandra Hiller , which later won an Oscar.

“Overall, the films from the festival’s official selection,” as Spiegel magazine recently calculated, “collected a record 26 Oscar nominations.” Jonathan Glazer’s Auschwitz film Zone of Interest – also starring Sandra Hiller – as well as Aki Kaurismaki’s Falling Leaves and Perfect Days also won Oscars. ) by Wim Wenders. The bar for the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2024 is high.

Edited by: Sofia Kleftaki