MAGAZINE iPREMIUM

The Cannes Festival 2022: What's Going On?

Today marks the first day of the 75th anniversary edition of Cannes Film Festival. This year, the festival will feature an impressive lineup of major Hollywood names, buzzy newbies, and past Palme d'Or winners - a splashy comeback despite the situation in Ukraine.

"I honestly think this is one of the best Cannes line-ups in years," claimed Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief for The Hollywood Reporter.

After Cannes was entirely cancelled in 2020 and held under strict health restrictions in 2021, everyone expects this edition to return today in all its glamour.

As all the preparations are underway with workers installing the red carpet on the grand staircase of Palais des Festivals, and hanging the huge poster for the Cannes Film Festival's golden jubilee, featuring an image from The Truman Show, here’s a short breakdown of what’s planned so far: 

Today’s first showing will be "Final Cut," a horror-comedy zombie film by French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, a French remake of the 2017 Japanese film "One Cut of the Dead." Starring Romain Duris and Bérénice Bejo, the film revolves around a crew remaking the film depicted in the original film. Interestingly, the film’s title was changed from the original "Z, like Z".

Some forthcoming sensations will include Tom Cruise's "Top Gun Maverick" that will return the actor to Cannes for the first time in three decades, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biography will feature Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, and Honorary Palme D'Or for lifetime accomplishment will be presented to Forest Whitaker.

"It's tradition to have our American friends – let's not forget that the Cannes Festival, in 1939 and in 1946, was practically co-built, co-invented by France and Hollywood," festival director Thierry Fremaux told a press conference.

Despite China's absence, Asia will have a strong presence at the festival for the delight of many fans. Films by Park Chan-wook and Hirokazu Kore-eda, as well as a new feature "Hunt" by "Squid Game" star, Lee Jung-Jae have already reserved their places in the starry lineup. Good news also come for horror fans as David Cronenberg returns on the horror scene with "Crimes of the Future", starring Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, and Lea Seydoux.

Although the festival has barred official Russian delegations from attending, it will screen "Tchaikovski's Wife," a film by exiled Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been vocal about the conflict in Ukraine. Another war-related submission, "Mariupolis 2" by Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravicius, will be presented by Hanna Bilobrova, the director’s fiancé, due to his death in Mariupol a month ago. There will also be a Ukrainian submission by Maksym Nakonechnyi. His debut film "Butterfly Vision" tells the tale of a young Ukrainian lady who returns to her homeland after being arrested and then released in a prisoner swap.

"We will be thinking a lot about film, but we will never stop thinking about what is happening in Ukraine as well," said Fremaux.

Events News Art & cinema