Cannes Festival starts today with tribute to Michael Douglas and Brazilians in the dispute

The city of Cannes, on the French Riviera, was transformed into a playground for the film industry this week, with the start of the 76th edition of the glamorous film festival from this Tuesday (16), with blockbusters, up-and-coming talent and controversy. In addition to a parade of movie stars and stars in the

“We have ‘Indiana Jones’, we have Martin Scorsese’s new film with Leonardo DiCaprio. We have a Wes Anderson movie filled with every star you could name and a ‘who’s who’ of great art directors,” Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief for The Hollywood Reporter, told Reuters.

“This combination is a total killer, with no room for gimmicks,” said Roxborough.

Pedro Almodóvar, Natalie Portman and Michael Douglas are among the stars expected to appear on the Croisette, with new films by directors Nanni Moretti, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders among the contenders for the Palme d’Or.

Douglas is one of the guests of honor at the festival and will receive the Palme d’Or Honorary for his career and contribution to cinema at the opening of the event.

Also at the opening of the festival will be shown the film in French “Jeanne du Barry”, with actor Johnny Depp as King Louis 15, his first major role since a trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Festival director Thierry Fremaux dismissed criticism that Depp was a controversial choice for a film on opening night, telling Variety magazine that the actor was not banned from work.

A total of 21 films are up for the Palme d’Or, with a record number of women at the helm – seven – including Catherine Corsini’s “Homecoming”.

The sole debut in this year’s competition is “Banel & Adama,” a relationship drama set in a Senegalese village by French-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy.

The festival runs until the 27th of May.

Brazilian presence

This year, no Brazilian film competes for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s main award, but a director will “represent” Brazil. Karim Aïnouz directed “Firebrand”, a feature film about Katherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII of England, who is up for the main prize.

Kleber Mendonça Filho, nominated twice for the Palme d’Or with “Aquárius”, in 2016, and “Bacurau”, in 2019, which won the Festival’s Jury Prize, this time will just present his “Ghost Portraits” in one of the special film screening sessions during the festival. The feature documentary tells the story of the disappearance of street cinemas in the 20th century in Recife.

Another film with a Brazilian signature is “Crouwrã – A flor de Buriti”, by director Renée Nader Messora in partnership with the Portuguese João Salaviza, which will be shown in the Um Certo Olhar exhibition, one of the most anticipated of the festival.

(Published by Carolina Farias, with information from Reuters and CNN)

Source: CNN Brasil

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