Screen staff preview all of the titles in the Cannes Film Festival’s Special, Midnight Screenings and Premiere titles, which this year includes films from Fatih Akin, Kirill Serebrennikov, Hlynur Palmason, Lav Diaz, Raoul Peck and Sebastian Lelio. The festival runs May 13-24.
Cannes Premiere
Amrum (Ger)
Dir. Fatih Akin
Amrum is set on the eponymous German island in spring 1945, as a 12-year-old boy helps his mother feed their family in the final days of the Second World War, until the arrival of peace brings new conflicts. Jasper Billerbeck, Laura Tonke and Diane Kruger lead the cast. The film is produced by Akin’s own bombero international with Warner Bros Film Productions Germany, in co-production with Rialto Film. Amrum marks Akin’s third time in Cannes after 2017’s In The Fade and 2007’s Edge Of Heaven.
Contact: Beta Cinema
Connemara (Fr)
Dir. Alex Lutz
Lutz is back in Cannes after premiering Strangers By Night in Un Certain Regard two years ago. Connemara is an adaptation of famed French writer Nicolas Mathieu’s novel of the same name about two 40-somethings who reunite in their hometown 20 years after high school and embark on a love affair despite coming from different worlds. Mélanie Thierry and Bastien Bouillon star.
Contact: Margaux Audouin, Studiocanal
The Disappearance Of Josef Mengele (Fr-Mex-Ger-UK-Sp)
Dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
August Diehl stars as the Nazi doctor who found refuge in South America at the end of the Second World War in this adaptation of Olivier Guez’s 2017 bestseller. The film is told from the point of view of Mengele, who died in Brazil in 1979 without having been judged for his crimes. It marks Russian filmmaker Serebrennikov’s sixth time in official selection at Cannes. He was at the festival last year with Limonov — The Ballad. Bac Films handles French distribution while DCM distributes in Germany.
Contact: Kinology
Love On Trial (Japan-Fr)
Dir. Koji Fukada
Japanese filmmaker Fukada, who won the Un Certain Regard jury prize in 2016 with Harmonium, returns with this social drama about a J-pop idol. Starring Kyoko Saito, once of pop group Hinatazaka46, the story centres on a singer who is taken to court after violating a ‘no love’ clause in her contract that forbids her from dating. The film is produced by Toho and Knockonwood, with co-production from France’s Survivance. Fukada’s credits include Love Life, which played in Competition at Venice in 2022.
Contact: mk2 Films
The Love That Remains (Ice-Den-Swe-Fr)
Dir. Hlynur Palmason
Historical drama Godland launched in Un Certain Regard in 2022, before significant festival play and a spot on the best international feature Oscar shortlist. Palmason follows that with a contemporary story depicting a year in the life of a family as the parents navigate their separation. Shot in Iceland last year with Palmason as cinematographer, The Love That Remains reunites him with producers Anton Mani Svansson of Still Vivid and Katrin Pors of Snowglobe, with Woman At War’s Saga Gardarsdottir and Borg Vs. McEnroe’s Sverrir Gudnason leading the cast.
Contact: Katarzyna Siniarska, New Europe Film Sales
Ma Frère (Fr)
Dirs. Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret
The filmmakers won the Un Certain Regard prize in 2022 for The Worst Ones which went on to be nominated for best film at the Cesars. They return to Cannes with the coming of age drama Ma Frère about two teenage best friends from a working class neighbourhood in Paris who spend a summer working at a camp with young children. The movie stars Shirel Nataf and Fanta Kebe. StudioCanal has French and international rights.
Contact: StudioCanal
Magellan (Phil)
Dir. Lav Diaz
Gael Garcia Bernal stars as 16th-century Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who voyaged to the Malayan Archipelago and became obsessed with conquest and conversion, sparking violent uprisings. Filipino filmmaker Diaz was at Cannes in 2013 with Norte, The End Of History in Un Certain Regard. He won Locarno’s Golden Leopard in 2014 with From What Is Before, a Berlinale Silver Bear in 2016 with A Lullaby To The Sorrowful Mystery and Venice’s Golden Lion the same year with The Woman Who Left. Known for his long cinematic narratives — 2004’s Evolution Of A Filipino Family clocked in at more than 10 hours — this cut of Diaz’s latest runs a relatively brisk two hours and 45 minutes.
Contact: Luxbox
Orwell: 2+2=5 (US)
Dir. Raoul Peck
Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro documentarian Peck was in Cannes last year with Special Screenings selection Ernest Cole, Lost And Found. This year brings his new documentary portrait of George Orwell, the 20th-century UK author and fierce opponent of totalitarianism whose many novels included the ominously prescient 1984 and Animal Farm. Neon will distribute in the US. Anonymous Content and Closer Media co-financed the film and serve as executive producers. Alex Gibney produced for Jigsaw Productions, with Peck for Velvet Film alongside George Chignell and Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content.
Contact: Flavien Eripret, Goodfellas
Splitsville (US)
Dir. Michael Angelo Covino
Covino made a name for himself with his feature directing debut and 2019 Un Certain Regard bromance The Climb, and returns with a relationship comedy starring Adria Arjona (Hit Man), Dakota Johnson, Kyle Marvin and Covino. When his wife asks for a divorce, a man seeks support from some friends who enjoy an open marriage — but wreaks havoc when he crosses a line. Neon will distribute in the US and handles international sales.
Contact: Neon
The Wave (Chile-US)
Dir. Sebastian Lelio
Lelio’s musical drama reflects on the ‘Feminist May’ protests that swept across Chile in 2018, and stars Daniela Lopez as a university student who unexpectedly becomes the central figure in a movement. Fabula produced the film, which was co-financed by Participant and Fremantle. Lelio won the international feature film Oscar in 2018 for A Fantastic Woman and returns to the Croisette for the first time since Christmas debuted in Directors’ Fortnight in 2009.
Contact: FilmNation Entertainment (international excluding Latin America); Fabula (Latin America)
Midnight Screenings
Dalloway (Fr-Belg)
Dir. Yann Gozlan
This near future-set psychological thriller explores the excesses of AI and the fragility of artistic creation in the digital age. Cécile de France stars in the tale of a novelist who joins an ultramodern artistic residence. There she meets a virtual assistant designed to stimulate creativity, only for the line between benevolent support and unhealthy intrusion to become dangerously blurred. Gozlan is known for 2021 French box-office hit Black Box and 2023’s Visions starring Diane Kruger and Mathieu Kassovitz.
Contact: Alexis Cassanet, Gaumont
Exit 8 (Japan)
Dir. Genki Kawamura
Kawamura, best known as the producer of anime hits such as Your Name, directs this horror film based on a 2023 video game that has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. It follows a man trapped in an endless, sterile subway passage who sets out to find the eponymous exit. The cast is led by Kazunari Ninomiya, whose credits include Letters From Iwo Jima. Kawamura’s debut feature, 2022’s A Hundred Flowers, earned him best director at San Sebastian. His latest is produced by Story Inc (Suzume) and Aoi Pro.
Contact: Flavien Eripret, Goodfellas
Honey Don’t! (US)
Dir. Ethan Coen
A previous Cannes grand prix and double best director winner (with brother Joel), Ethan Coen returns to the festival solo with Honey Don’t!. Co-written with Tricia Cooke, the dark comedy stars Margaret Qualley as a smalltown investigator delving into a series of bizarre deaths linked to a mysterious church. She previously collaborated with Coen and Cooke on Drive-Away Dolls, the first in their lesbian B-movie trilogy, which Honey Don’t! continues. It also features Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans, and is produced by Coen, Cooke, Robert Graf, and Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.
Contact: Focus Features
No One Will Know (Fr)
Dir. Vincent Maël Cardona
After his first film Magnetic Beats premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2021, Cardona is back on the Croisette for a midnight screening of his follow-up feature. A group of clients and staff at a shabby bar in Paris lock themselves inside after one of the regulars wins millions in the lottery; guns are drawn and a bloody downward spiral ensues. The tense thriller stars Pio Marmaï, Sofiane Zermani and Lucie Zhang, and is produced by France’s Srab Films and Easy Tiger.
Contact: Emilio Montezuma, Studiocanal
Sons Of The Neon Night (HK)
Dir. Juno Mak
The long-awaited second film by singer and actor-turned-director Mak features a stellar cast led by Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sean Lau and Louis Koo. The $50m crime drama follows a series of wild actions planned by a pharmaceutical heir. The title theme was composed by late musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Catherine Hun produces for Sons Company, Sil-Metropole Organisation, JQ Pictures Holdings and Shaw Brothers Pictures. Mak made his debut with Rigor Mortis, which premiered at Venice in 2013.
Contact: Distribution Workshop
Special Screenings
Arco (Fr)
Dir. Ugo Bienvenu
Following short animations Maman and L’Entretien, French illustrator and comic-book artist Bienvenu makes his feature debut with this animated tale of a 12-year-old boy who lives in a far future where people can time travel through rainbows. Falling out in 2075, he meets a young girl who will help him find his way home. The film, which will play in competition at Annecy, is produced by Valérie Schermann (The Red Turtle), and the French voice cast includes Swann Arlaud and Alma Jodorowsky. Natalie Portman will lend her voice to the English-language version.
Contact: Flavien Eripet, Goodfellas
Bono: Stories Of Surrender (US)
Dir. Andrew Dominik
The Australian filmmaker returns to the festival for the first time since 2012, when Killing Them Softly premiered in Competition. This time around, Dominik turns his attention to the iconic U2 singer in his second music documentary following Berlin 2022 premiere This Much I Know To Be True about Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Based on Bono’s memoir and book tour of the same name, Bono: Stories Of Surrender sees him share personal stories and unseen performances. RadicalMedia and Plan B Entertainment produce the doc, with Bono as executive producer. AppleTV+ has global distribution.
Contact: AppleTV+
Little Amelie (Fr)
Dirs. Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
Adapted from Amélie Nothomb’s bestselling memoir, this animation follows a Belgian child in Japan who discovers herself in the six months leading up to her third birthday. It is produced by France’s Maybe Movies (2014 Oscar nominee Ernest & Celestine) and Ikki Films. Making their feature debuts, Vallade’s storyboard credits include 2020 Oscar nominee I Lost My Body while Han’s work features on 2015’s The Little Prince. Haut et Court is distributing Little Amelie in France.
Contact: Flavien Eripet, Goodfellas
A Magnificent Life (Fr-Belg-Lux)
Dir. Sylvain Chomet
This film delves into the imaginative world and life of Marcel Pagnol, one of France’s most influential 20th-century playwrights, filmmakers and novelists, as seen through the eyes of renowned animator Chomet. Sony Pictures Classics secured early rights for the director’s highly anticipated return to the big screen, marking his first animated feature since 2010’s The Illusionist. It also marks Chomet’s return to Cannes following the success of The Triplets Of Belleville, which premiered out of competition in 2003.
Contact: Elle Driver
Mama (Isr-Pol-It)
Dir. Or Sinai
The only Israeli film in official selection this year is the debut feature of one of the country’s rising stars. A graduate of Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Sinai participated in Berlinale Talents in 2015 and won the Cannes Cinefondation prize in 2016 for short Anna. Hebrew- and Polish-language Mama follows a woman forced to leave a secret romance at her seaside mansion to return to her family in a remote Polish village, where the long-awaited reunion is far from what she imagined.
Contact: Intramovies
The Man Who Saw The Bear (Fr)
Dir. Pierre Richard
As part of a tribute to French actor/filmmaker Richard, the festival is screening the 90-year-old’s newest — and reportedly final — feature. The comedy centres around two men from different generations who band together to protect a runaway circus bear. Richard co-wrote the screenplay with Anne-Sophie Riviere and also stars in the film alongside Gustave Kervern and Timi-Joy Marbot. It is produced by France’s Moby Dick Films with the support of Canal+. The feature marks Richard’s first time as a director at the festival, having last attended as an actor for 2023’s Jeanne Du Barry. ARP distributes in France.
Contact: Laurent Danielou, Loco Films
The Six Billion Dollar Man (US-Ger-Fr)
Dir. Eugene Jarecki
This documentary about Julian Assange finally has its premiere five months after the director withdrew it from Sundance earlier this year because of “unexpected developments” without which the director felt the film would not be complete. The film follows the Wikileaks founder as he battles to prevent extradition to the US for exposing highly confidential US documents. Jareki, best known for Sundance Film Festival winners Why We Fight and The House I Live In, was last in Official Selection in 2017 with Elvis Presley doc The King (aka Promised Land).
Contact: WME Independent
Tell Her That I Love Her (Fr)
Dir. Romane Bohringer
Bohringer’s second feature as a director after 2018 sleeper hit In The Move For Love (which she co-directed with Philippe Rebbot) is a fictional self-portrait and loose adaptation of French politician Clémentine Autain’s book of the same name, in which the actress/filmmaker confronts her own past and the mother who abandoned her as a child. As their parallel stories collide, the film disguises its introspective analysis as a bittersweet comedy and ode to motherhood.
Contact: Kinology
The Wonderers (Fr)
Dir. Joséphine Japy
This is the first feature from French actress Japy who is known for turns in Jean Dujardin-led drama On the Wandering Paths and Netflix’s Bafta Television-winning series Class Act. Set in summer on the French Riviera, The Wonderers follows a family navigating the severe disability of its youngest daughter. It stars Mélanie Laurent, Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Angelina Woreth, Félix Kysyl and newcomer Sarah Pachoud. France’s Cowboys Films produces.
Contact: Pulsar Content
Profiles by: Nikki Baughan, Ellie Calnan, Ben Dalton, Tim Dams, Jeremy Kay, Rebecca Leffler, Yasmine Medjdoub, Michael Rosser, Matt Schley, Mona Tabbara, Silvia Wong
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