Cannes Film Festival Page 2

This weekend saw the announcement of Swedish art satire 'The Square' as this year's Palme d'Or prize winner at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. It came as quite the surprise for everyone, given that comedies such as this have rarely been winners of the top award.

Ruben Ostlund at the 2015 BIFA Awards

Directed and written by the genius that is the BAFTA nominated Ruben Östlund (who is following his 2014 masterpiece 'Force Majeure'), 'The Square' explores the boundaries of art and human nature following a manager of a modern art museum named named Christian (Claes Bang) who opens a new exhibiton with an installation that comprises of a square drawn on the floor whereby anyone who steps inside must recognise it as a 'sanctuary of trust and caring'.

Continue reading: Everything You Need To Know About Palme D'Or Winner 'The Square'

Will Smith has used his position on the jury of this year’s Cannes Film Festival to launch a passionate defence of streaming giant Netflix, in disagreement with the jury’s president, director Pedro Almodovar.

Smith was part of a four-strong jury that gave a press conference at the annual film festival in the south of France on Wednesday afternoon (May 17th), alongside president Almodovar, another director in the shape of Paolo Sorrentino and Hollywood A-lister Jessica Chastain.

The topic of discussion soon got onto the Netflix revolution, which is disrupting the conventional film industry because it distributes films often without giving them a theatrical release at all. Two of the films touted for the Palme d’Or this year didn’t get a French cinematic release until very recently (Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories), and it has made French distributors upset.

Continue reading: Will Smith Launches Defence Of Netflix At Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival 2017 kicks off this week and those officially selected for Competition are particularly exciting this year. The Palme d'Or nominees offer thrills, colour, mystery, poignant propositions as well as some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Here are nine of our most anticipated features.

Nicole Kidman stars in 'The Beguiled'

1. The Beguiled - For Academy Award winning Sofia Coppola's latest film, she adapts the Thomas P. Cullinan novel of the same name (originally called 'A Painted Devil') in a Western starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning. They play the residents of a small Virginia girls' school who take in a wounded Union soldier played by Colin Farrell. Sexual tensions arise, which only results in pure vengeance.

Continue reading: The Beguiled, Okja And Wonderstruck: The Best Palme D'Or Nominees For Cannes Film Festival 2017

British director Ken Loach has won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film I, Daniel Blake. The drama, starring Dave Johns, focuses on a joiner from Newcastle who needs benefits for the first time after suffering a heart attack.

Ken Loach has won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Loach beat directors including Sean Penn, Jeff Nichols and Jim Jarmusch to take home the prestigious prize for the second time in his career. His first win was in 2006 for war drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

Continue reading: Ken Loach Wins Cannes Palme D'Or For 'I, Daniel Blake'

It’s only May, but critics already believe they have a frontrunner for next year’s Best Actress Oscar, Loving star Ruth Negga. The acclaimed drama debuted at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday (May 16th) and has already garnered plenty of Oscar buzz, especially for the Ethiopian-Irish actress.

Ruth Negga stars in Loving.

In the drama Negga stars opposite Joel Edgerton, as married interracial couple Mildred and Richard Loving, who battle against the supreme court for their right to live together as husband and wife, during a time when interracial marriage was illegal.

Continue reading: 'Loving' Star Ruth Negga Tipped For Oscar After Wowing Cannes

Timothy Spall and Julianne Moore have received the prizes at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for best actor and actress in a feature film. Winter Sleep, a Turkish film, has won the Palme d'or, the highest award at Cannes.

Julianne Moore recieved the award for best actress at Cannes.

Winter Sleep has been awarded the highest honour at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d'or. The Turkish film, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, stars Haluk Bilginer, Demet Akbag and Melisa Sözen. The film follows the family story of a former actor running a hotel in a small town in Anatolia. The film has been highly praised by critics and has beat off a series of films with far larger budgets and well known stars for the highest award including American and British films Foxcatcher and Mr. Turner. 

Continue reading: Timothy Spall & Julianne Moore Win Cannes 2014 Best Actors Awards

Quentin Tarantino has spoken out again about the changes and development in cinema since his youth. Digital Vs. traditional technology continues to be a hot topic amongst film makers with numerous high profile names arguing for either side of the debate. 

Quentin Tarantino hosted a special film screening in Cannes on Saturday.

The Pulp Fiction director was at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday (24th May) in order to host a special screening of the 1964 classic A Fistful of Dollars. He introduced the film with a stark reminder of the dangers of digital and the loss of film making techniques.

Continue reading: Quentin Tarantino At Cannes: "Digital Projection Is The Death Of Cinema"

Enfant terrible Xavier Dolan has arrived at Cannes. And here's taking the Palme d'Or home with him. Maybe. Probably. The director's fifth feature - Mommy - is perhaps his finest work yet, quite the feat considering the majesty of his debut I Killed My Mother and Tom At The Farm.

Xavier Dolan at the Cannes Film Festival

Dolan remains an obscure filmmaker in the United States and his work is derivative of pretty much nobody. His latest movie is screened in 1:1 aspect ratio.

Continue reading: Why Xavier Dolan Should Win Cannes' Palme D'Or For 'Mommy'

This year’s Cannes Film Festival – which will take place between 14-25 May – will see Jane Campion preside over judging responsibilities.

Campion is best known for The Piano, a film that saw her win the Palme d'Or at the French film festival in 1993. She was the first female winner, and remains the only one to this day. The film also won her a best screenplay award at The Oscars.

Jane Campion's consierable reputation has seen her take the head judge spot at Cannes 2014

Continue reading: Jane Campion To Take Up Head Judge Spot At This Year's Cannes

Abdellatif Kechiche, the director of the Palme d'Or winning movie Blue is the Warmest Color, has verbally attacked French newspaper Le Monde, the journalist Aureliano Tonet and even his own lead actress Lea Seydoux in an open letter published on the website Rue89.

Lea Seydoux [L] and Kechiche [C] at the Cannes Film Festival

Kechiche begins by attacking the negative stories about his movie that appeared in Le Monde, though focuses much of his ire on Seydoux whom he calls an "arrogant, spoiled child." He appears to threaten legal action for the actress' statements about his methods during shooting the movie.

Continue reading: 'Blue Is The Warmest Color' Director To Sue "Arrogant" Lead Actress Seydoux?

Cannes Film Festival may have been blighted of late by some criminal activity, but the glitz and the glamour have prevailed in a charity event that saw a man buy a trip to space with Leonardo Dicaprio for $1.5m.

Vasily Klyukin, 37, a Russian living in Monaco – and enjoying all the tax benefits that come with that - said he had always wanted to go into space. "I want to be a bit daring," Klyukin - who works in real estate and also bought a gold and diamond necklace for $517,000 - told Reuters. "I will have to give up smoking now for sure!" The money will go to amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and The Great Gatsby star will board a Virgin Galactic flight into space with a mystery guest; someone who was willing to spend $1.5m to be shot into space with him. Sound maybe a little bit weird? Nah. Actress Sharon Stone explained that the winning bidder would spend three days in training with DiCaprio in New Mexico bfore the trip. "You don't get to go to outer space every day with a handsome movie star," she explained.

This year’s Cannes has seen Leo’s film, The Great Gatbsy, directed by Baz Lurhmann, receive mixed reviews. It was already struggling before hand, having been handed a rare Cannes opening spot despite already opening elsewhere, but given that many were waiting for the spectacle of the Cannes showing, its deficiencies were highlighted further.

Continue reading: Leonardo DiCaprio Space Trip Costs Decadent Man $1.5m – But It’s For Charity

Miranda Kerr didn't have the best of times during a photo-shoot for her Kora Organics skincare line in Miami earlier this month. The former Victoria's Secret Angel and wife of Orlando Bloom looked rather bashful after her top fell down, exposing both breasts to the nearby photographers. Doh!

Somewhat ironically, Kerr had posed nude for Kora Organics' first advertising campaign nearly four years ago, however, she kept her breasts covered with her left arm on that occasion. The businesswoman opened up about her cosmetics line in February, telling Us Weekly, "It's so rejuvenating for the skin and revitalizing.The rosy face oil at night is a must have for me because it puts back all the essential fatty acids back into the skin and it's anti-aging and super revitalizing," adding, "We've had such wonderful feedback.For my own skin I see how it helps me, but the amazing response we get back on a daily basis has been so lovely."

Since launching the brand in November 2009, Kerr's beauty giant has gone from strength to strength. "It was my idea, it was my vision, my concept, so I went and found a lab and started working with all the organic chemists," she said of Kora, which is now sold on Net-a-Porter.

Continue reading: Double Nip Slip? How Could Miranda Kerr Be So Inconsiderate?

This year’s Cannes Film Festival is taking the movies a little too far; first we had the jewellery theft – that was right out of a film, then we had the crazed faux gunman, who claimed he had a grenade – that was right out of a film, albeit a comedy, and now we’ve got a Chinese film executive with stolen luggage.

Keanu Reeves in Man of Tai Chi

Granted, the Chinese dude with stolen luggage might not be the most heinous of crimes, but it’s a crime nonetheless. And besides, that film exec probably had loads of really important things in his luggage, like money and phones and photos. China Film Group vice president Zhang Qiang bailed out of his scheduled press conference appearance with Keanu Reeves for Man of Tai Chi – the Matrix star’s first film behind the camera. He did so because of the stolen luggage, having found out his bags had been pilfered from his rented accommodation at Pierre & Vacances Résidence, Cannes Beach. "Security in France is so bad, and the [people] are so arrogant," he posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, adding, "This film festival is not worth mentioning!"

Continue reading: Crime Spree Cannes – Yet Another Burglary At Film Festival

Joel and Ethan Coen, who go by the collective pseudonym of The Coen Brothers, seem to have struck gold with their latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which is emerging as a front-runner for the Palm D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Described by The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw as "best so far at Cannes," the new Coen Brother’s flick caused quite a stir when it debuted at the prestigious film festival. “Cannes audiences just heard a clean, hard crack: the sound of the Coen brothers hitting one out of the park,” read Bradshaw's review. “Their new film is brilliantly written, terrifically acted, superbly designed and shot; it's a sweet, sad, funny picture about the lost world of folk music which effortlessly immerses us in the period.” The Atlantic go as far as to say Llewyn is “Fargo good,” adding in their review: “Their new movie ranks with their very best (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man) in its nearly pitch-perfect balance of biting satirical humour and deep reserves of feeling."

Continue reading: Coen Brother’s Inside Llewyn Davis - The ‘Best So Far At Cannes’?

This year’s Cannes Film Festival is quickly turning into a hotbed of crime. First, more than a million dollars worth of jewellery was stolen in a heist, now people are screaming following suspected gunshots.

This kind of stuff usually happens only in the movies! The criminality is less impressive when host Michel Denisot said the noise had been caused by blanks, but for a brief time, the gun-wielding man/woman declared they had a grenade. Given that no one was hurt, we’re going to put this down as ‘exciting’ and, again, ‘only happens in the movies’. The other big story from Cannes was also crime related, as a jewellery heist put a dampener on the red-carpeted proceedings. Commander Bernard Mascarelli, a judicial police spokesman in Nice, said:"Numbers have been put forward that we're still trying to verify, but the figure of $1m ... we're in that range." He added: "Apparently this [hotel guest] was someone who was targeted because it wasn't someone who had been seeking attention...” talking of the Chopard employee, reportedly an American, who is being questioned. “There must have been either an inside complicity, or people who were in contact with this person and knew that the person had jewels," he said.

So overall, Cannes has been pretty exciting, but for all of the wrong reasons. Gatsby opened it, etc etc, it’s glamorous, etc etc, and there are other films. Okay fine, now we want to know more about the great Cannes Jewellery Heist of 2013. We’re also predicting a film by 2016.

Continue reading: Suspected Gunshots At Cannes - Christoph Waltz Rushed Off Stage

The 66th Cannes Film Festival kicked off this week with the glittering red carpet premiere of The Great Gatsby, attended by filmmaker Bas Luhrmann and cast members Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher. The film opened in America last Friday and in the UK this Thursday.

Mulligan also stars in another film in competition at Cannes: the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis is the story of a folk singer (Oscar Isaac) in 1960s New York. The eclectic, starry cast includes Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund and John Goodman. And to go with the Cannes world premiere, the film launched its first trailer this week. It looks pretty unmissable, and is being released to target awards season.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Cannes Film Festival Kicks Off, Coen Brothers' & James Franco Are Potential Award Winners, Michael Douglas Portrays Liberace In Behind The Candelabra And Much More!

The 2013 Cannes Film Festival will open on Wednesday (May 15, 2013) with Baz Luhrmann's 3-D version of The Great Gatsby, a throwback to the roaring twenties adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic book of the same name. The announcement caused unrest earlier in the year given that Gatsby would already have been released in the U.S by the time Cannes came round (it was released last week) though there's a couple of other things to worry about.

The Great Gatsby opened in the United States to fairly lacklustre reviews, dampening the buzz surrounding the start of the 12 day Cannes Film Festival. The critics have already seen it. The critics didn't like it very much. "This dreadful film even derogates the artistry of Fitzgerald, who wrote "The Great Gatsby" while living on Long Island and in Europe," said the Wall Street Journal. It holds a score of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Nevertheless, champagne bottles will be popped, deals will be made and Harvey Weinstein will be wandering around deciding which movie to snap up as his next Oscar winner at this year's festival. Stars expected to attend include Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Ryan Gosling, Emma Watson and the legendary Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachan. "This is the hardest 10 days of the year for me. There are always three or four movies that are exceptional and you have to find them so it is a detective job," said Tom Bernard, co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics.

Continue reading: 'The Great Gatsby' Opening Cannes Doesn't Seem Like Such A Good Idea Anymore

Chloe Sevigny has received strong backlash towards her recent film 'The Brown Bunny', after critics attacked her over an oral sex scene. The actress is upset by the critical response to the scene between her and Vincent Gallo, defending it as "romantic" and "beautiful", as opposed to gratuitous. 

Related: Watch Sevigny In The Trailer For 'Lovelace'

The star explained her reactions to the reviews from Cannes Film Festival, by discussing how natural and intimate the scene is. Furthermore, she expressed dismay to the controversy it sparked, arguing: "I'm really angry at the way everyone's trivialising it. It's a really intense romantic scene, really beautiful. It's not gratuitous, it's deep. I do it in everyday life. Everybody's done it, or had it done to them."

Continue reading: Chloe Sevigny Defends 'The Brown Bunny' Oral Sex Scene