Selfies are forbidden on the red carpet; Harvey Weinstein is persona non grata in Cannes, but Lars von Trier no longer is. While #MeToo remains a dominant issue, there are more women on the jury than in the competition.
Image: Reuters/B. Tessier
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Controversies in Cannes at the 71st Film Festival
A competition with few big names but lots of politically explosive material. An argument with Netflix. German cinema's disappointing presence. An overview of the issues facing Cannes as the film festival opens.
Image: Memento Films
An Iranian opener
Persian director Asghar Farhadi has been given the honor of opening the festival this year. The two-time Oscar winner has two big stars in his Spanish-Italian-French co-production "Everybody Knows." Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem play the lead roles in the thriller, which is up for the Golden Palm along with 20 other nominees.
Image: Memento Films
Hollywood engagement
US director Spike Lee and his latest movie "BlacKkKlansman" is a contender for the Golden Palm. Lee, who has often dealt with the subject of racism in his previous work, looks at the case of a police officer who smuggled himself into the Ku Klux Klan in this movie. Spike Lee is one of just two US directors (the other is David Robert Mitchell) in contention this year.
Image: D. Lee/F. Features
A strong showing from France
French cinema naturally sees the Cannes Film Festival as a game on home turf. A total of five French films are competing this year: from the arthouse film "The Image Book" by 87-year-old master Jean-Luc Godard to the love story "Sorry Angel" (above) by director Christophe Honoré, the cinematic motherland presents itself more strongly than any other nation in the competition.
Image: C. Honoré
Competing politics
There's often something new afoot in Cannes but this year the novelty is political: two films in the competition are by directors who are under house arrest in their homeland. Iranian Jafer Panahi sent his film "Three Faces," while the Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov forwarded his latest contribution, "Leto" (above). It's unlikely the directors can present their work in Cannes personally.
Image: K. Serebrennikow
Artsy films from the world over
Arthouse films by big name directors: these have been of particular interest in Cannes over the past few years. They've taken a back seat this year as the world awaits new works by famous directors. Pictured here: Turkish star director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "The Wild Pear Tree" traces the fate of a young writer who returns to their rural home.
Image: nbcfilm
A woman for (jury) president
The film which will take home the Palme d'Or on May 19 is decided by, among others, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who is the 2018 president of the jury. She sits on the jury along with several other women, including actresses Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart (from France and the US respectively) along with directors Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev (Russia) and Denis Villeneuve (Canada).
Image: Getty Images/I. Gavan
Lars von Trier's return
It was a bit unexpected that the Danish director Lars von Trier would appear again at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2011, he caused a scandal after he had allegedly expressed sympathy for Adolf Hitler at a press conference. The festival then excluded him. But this year Trier can show his new movie, "The House That Jack Built," albeit outside the competition.
Image: Zentropa-Christian Geisnaes
The German and the Pope
Once again, we are looking for German directors at the competition in Cannes in vain. There are a few films being shown on the side and "out of competition," including Wim Wenders' new documentary "Pope Francis – a man of his word" who is presenting his film at the Croisette. The film was created in close collaboration with the head of the Catholic Church.
Image: W. Wenders
Ulrich Köhler makes it to the "Un certain regard" series
Yet German director Ulrich Köhler was able to make the leap into the renowned side events, "Un Certain Regard" with his film, "In My Room." In the film, Köhler, who is the life partner of the award-winning director Maren Ade, looks at the midlife crisis of a man who wakes up one morning only to realize that all of humanity has disappeared.
Image: U. Köhler
Von Trotta's personal look at Ingmar Bergman
A third German is represented in Cannes: Margarethe von Trotta is showing her documentary "Ingmar Bergman," which she staged together with Felix Möller. Von Trotta had a personal relationship with Bergman. The festival honored the Swede, who was born 100 years ago, in 1997 with the "Palm of the Palm," a special prize for the "best director of all time."
Image: Epicentre Films
Han Solo's world premiere
As American films are not well represented at the festival this year, fewer Hollywood stars are expected. But fans of blockbuster cinema will still go home happy. The latest Star Wars opus "A Star Wars Story" premieres in Cannes. The film shares the experiences of Han Solo in a plot-heavy flick located in the Star Wars chronology spectrum as being before the very first movie from 1977.
Image: 2018 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.
The question of Netflix
One of the controversies to hit the Cannes film festival ahead of its opening was an argument with streaming platform Netflix. Questions about their presence at the festival and what they can show arose as Cannes requires a theatrical release for the works while Netflix premieres their own works online, for subscribers. The argument could not be resolved and Netflix films won't be screened.
Image: imago/Panoramic/L. Urman
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Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi's psychological thriller opens the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday. His film, "Everybody Knows," starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, is his first work in Spanish.
While fans are ready to wait for hours to get a picture of the star couple on the red carpet, they will not be allowed to snap a selfie with them in the background.
"You don't come to Cannes to see yourself. You come to Cannes to see films," said Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux on Monday about outlawing selfies at the event.
Javier Bardem declared his love for Penelope Cruz in Cannes in 2010. The couple open the film fest togetherImage: Getty Images/C. Alvarez
Struggling with gender equality
"The entire world has changed since last September," added Fremaux, referring to allegations of sexual abuse in the film and entertainment business.
In a year dominated by the #MeToo movement, the number of female filmmakers at the film fest is higher than many years, but there's still a long way to go in the battle of the sexes.
Only three women directors will be vying for the Palme d'Or among a selection of 21 works: Lebanon's Nadine Labaki for "Capernaum," France's Eva Husson for "Girls of the Sun," and Italian Alice Rohrwacher with "Lazzaro Felice."
This is still better than in 2010 and 2012, when the competition didn't even include a single film directed by a woman.
A majority of women however make up the jury, including actresses Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux and director Ava DuVernay. It is headed by Australian actress Cate Blanchett, a vocal campaigner against sexual harassment, who revealed on the opening night of the festival in an interview with US entertainment magazine Variety that Harvey Weinstein had acted inappropriately toward her.
Cate Blanchett on the red carpet in 2015Image: Reuters/R. Duvignau
Political filmmakers
The 2018 competition also features highly political names. Iranian director Jafar Panahi and his Russian counterpart Kirill Serebrennikov are in the running for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize — even though neither can leave their home country. Despite pleas with authorities in the two countries, festival director Thierry Fremaux was pessimistic on Monday about their chances of making it. Panahi is under a work and travel ban and Serebrennikov is under house arrest.
Another renowned political voice, US director Spike Lee, is also in the line-up. His film "BlacKkKlansman," starring Adam Driver ("Star Wars"), is about a black policeman who manages to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.
Nouvelle Vague provocateur Jean-Luc Godard is premiering latest work in the competition, "Le livre d'image."
In a separate section, German veteran Wim Wenders will be showing his documentary, "Pope Francis — A Man of his Word," while the latest Star Wars spin-off focusing on Han Solo, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," will celebrate its premiere, adding stars to the festival's legendary red carpet.
Von Trier was also reinstituted this year after being banned from the festival in 2011 for joking about being a Nazi and having sympathy for Hitler. His latest film, "The House That Jack Built" will be screened outside of competition.
"He is not anti-Semitic. He is not anti-Jewish. He is not a Nazi. He was punished, and (festival president) Pierre Lescure along with the board decided that the punishment had lasted long enough," Fremaux said.
Icelandic pop singer Björk had alleged in October that Von Trier had sexually harassed her during the making of the movie "Dancer in the Dark," claims denied by the Danish film director.
A controversial character: Lars von TrierImage: imago/D. Heerde
Netflix boycotting the festival
Streaming giant Netflix decided to pull out of the festival shortly before the program was revealed in April, despite potentially having four films in the running for honors, including Paul Greengrass' much-awaited "Norway" about the 2010 Utoya massacre.
Netflix's surprise move is seen as retaliation for a new Cannes rule banning movies that are not first released in French cinemas from the competition.
Who will win the Palme d'Or?
Will a female director obtain the festival's highest accolade, the Palme d'Or?
As very few women have been nominated throughout the history of the festival, they also have less chances of winning. New Zealand's Jane Campion remains the only female to have obtained as a solo director the prestigious top award, for "The Piano Lesson" in 1993. Danish star and filmmaker Bodil Ipsen shared her 1945 Palme d'Or with co-director Lau Lauritzen Jr. for "The Red Meadows." In the best director and best screenplay categories, there have been only four women among the 111 winners, according to AFP.
Last year's Palme d'Or went to "The Square," a Swedish satirical drama directed by Ruben Östlund.
The award ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 19.
