Cannes Film Festival

Cate Blanchett has landed one of the film world's most prestigious honors by being named president of the Cannes Film Festival jury this week, ahead of the 71st event which hits France in May. She revealed how thrilled she was to head up this year's film judging panel with a heartfelt statement.

Cate Blanchett at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 

The 48-year-old actress will become the 12th woman to head up the Cannes jury, according to the festival organisers' announcement yesterday (January 3rd 2018), taking the place of last year's Spanish jury president Pedro Almodóvar; a director who gave the Palme d'Or prize to Ruben Ostlund's 'The Square'.

Continue reading: Cate Blanchett To Lead 2018 Cannes Film Festival Jury

The Cannes Film Festival jury headed by the Coen brothers and including Jake Gyllenhaal and Sienna Miller has awarded Jacques Audiard the Palme d'Or for his movie Dheepan. The gritty drama tells the story of refugees fleeing post-civil war Sri Lanka. 

Jacques Audiard won the Palme d'Or for his gritty drama Dheepan

Elsewhere, holocaust drama Son of Saul won the Grand Prix - essentially the runner-up prize - while Vincent Lindon won Best Actor and Rooney Mara and Emmanuelle Bercot shared Best Actress.

Continue reading: Coen Brothers And Co Choose 'Dheepan' As Palme D'Or Winner

French film Dheepan has become the unexpected winner of this year’s Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Jacques Audiard, the film took home the festival’s highest honour at its closing ceremony on Sunday night.

Dheepan director Jacques Audiard

Dheepan tells the story of a former Tamil Tiger fighter who pretends to be part of a family with two strangers to find a new life in a housing estate on the edge of Paris. Variety reported that when the film was announced as this year’s recipient, there was a mixture of boos and applause from the international press corps who were watching the ceremony at the Palais.

Continue reading: 'Dheepan' Upsets The Competition To Take Home Palme D'Or At Cannes

Macbeth stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard arrived in Cannes on Saturday, as the film premiered as the final competition entry to be screened before the festival prize is announced tomorrow. The film is now said to be one of the top contenders for the coveted Palme d'Or prize, after impressing the critics with its new take on Shakespeare’s classic work.

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard at the premiere of Macbeth in Cannes.

Directed by Justin Kurzel, this Macbeth paints the Scottish warrior as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and dealing with a wife who’s haunted by the loss of their child. Michael Fassbender stars in the title role, while French actress Marion Cotillard stars as Lady Macbeth.

Continue reading: Michael Fassbender And Marion Cotillard Bring A New Kind Of 'Macbeth' To Cannes

Sir Michael Caine may have won over the famously stubborn audience at the Cannes Film Festival with his latest movie Youth, but the 82-year-old had admitted feeling his age as the annual bash becomes more of a "circus".

Michael Caine turns in a stellar performance in Youth

Caine is in town to promote Paolo Sorrentino's movie with his co-stars Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel and Jane Fonda, though the Get Carter star isn't as enamoured with the festival as his younger contemporaries. 

Continue reading: Michael Caine Despairs At 'Discotheques' At Cannes Film Festival

The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival have struck back at outraged reports that women are being refused entry for certain film premieres for not wearing high heels, claiming that the rumours are “unfounded”.

The controversy being labelled as ‘flatgate’ was first reported by movie news website Screen Daily, after an unnamed ‘Cannes regular’ tipped off the site that a number of women, including some who were older and with medical conditions, were being turned away at the red carpet for failing to wear high enough heels.

Actress Emily Blunt at the Cannes Film Festival earlier today (Tuesday May 19th)

Continue reading: Cannes Organisers Respond To 'Flatgate' Heel Controversy

Amy, Senna director Asif Kapadia’s documentary about tragic singer Amy Winehouse premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, earning almost unanimous praise from the critics. But even before its premiere the film found itself making headlines in recent weeks, after the late singer’s family withdrew their support for the project last month.

Amy’s family have withdrawn support for the film.

Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, said he felt the doc painted him as an absentee father and  told The Sun newspaper in April “I felt sick when I watched it for the first time. Amy would be furious. This is not what she would have wanted.”

Continue reading: Amy Winehouse Documentary Impresses The Critics But Angers Singer's Family At Cannes Film Festival

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz have touched down at the Cannes Film Festival to promote their latest movie, The Lobster, a surreal comedy which pokes fun at the dating game. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos the film was largely shot in County Kerry and is already generating buzz as the possible Palme d’Or winner.

Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz at The Lobster premiere in Cannes.

Farrell, who gained a few extra pounds for the role, stars as an architect who arrives at a hotel where the guests must find a partner within a certain time frame or be transformed into the animal of their choice. If worst comes to worst Farrell decides he would like to live on as a lobster. Yes this one is not your usual romantic comedy.

Continue reading: Colin Farrell And Rachel Weisz Hit Cannes For 'The Lobster' Premiere

Since winning the Palm D’Or 20 years ago at Cannes, Quentin Tarantino’s brand of filmmaking has become synonymous with cult cinema. Controversy and brilliance has followed him from Pulp Fiction to Reservoir Dogs, from The Grindhouse films to Django Unchained.

Quentin Tarantino and his Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman at Cannes 2014

Cannes 2014 saw the Pulp Fiction gang get back together again as a special screening of the film marked two decades since it was awarded the Springtime film festival’s highest honour. QT has never been shy with the press, often polarizing with a concoction of arrogance, bloody-mindedness and – more often than not – a level of knowhow transcended by very few. 

Continue reading: Quentin Tarantino At Cannes 2014: What We Learned

Before Cannes 2014, to suggest ‘Winter Sleep’ would take the prestigious Palme D’Or back to Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s native Turkey would have been a leftfield choice. But after the second day screening of the 3 hour 16 minute film, the destination of this year’s prize was known to some with 9 days of the festival left to run.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan picks up the prestigous Palm D'Or

The movie centres on a family running a hotel in the snow-capped Turkish mountains, gently peeling away at the psychology behind the father character as he deals with family and business crises alike. In his acceptance speech, Ceylan noted that “This year is the 100th year of Turkish cinema, and it’s a good coincidence I think. I want to dedicate the prize to the young people of Turkey,” and, referring to the  11 deaths in antigovernment protests that began in May 2013, said: “especially those who lost their lives during the last year.”

Continue reading: Cannes 2014 Palme D'Or Winner: 'Winter Sleep' Takes The Jewell Of The Springtime Festival