Nicole Kidman's red carpet stroll won't be the only highlight in Cannes. Nineteen films are competing for the world's most prestigious film award, the Golden Palm, including a German movie and indie films from the US.
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What's hot and what's not at the Cannes Film Festival
The international film industry's crème de la crème is on the Côte d'Azur for the 70th Cannes Film Festival. A German film is in the running for the Palme d'Or and there are other surprises in store.
Image: Reuters/E. Gaillard
Film poster ruffles feathers
By the time the Cannes Film Festival opens on May 17, the controversy over this year's festival poster will have died down. The image features an obviously retouched 60-year-old-photo of ultra-slender actress Claudia Cardinale. It has fueled the current debate in France on underweight models - a topic that has divided the nation for some time.
Image: Reuters/E. Gaillard
Opening in French style
With Marion Cotillard and Charlotte Gainsbourg starring in Arnaud Desplechin's "Ismael's Ghosts," two impressive French actresses star in the film that will open the festival on Wednesday evening. The work tells the story of a man (Mathieu Amalric) who cannot get over the loss of a former love. It's showing out of competition in Cannes.
Image: Jean-Claude Lother/Why Not Productions
The private life of a legendary director
Following the kick-off, the festival will get down to business on Thursday with 18 films competing for the Palme d'Or this year. Particular attention is likely to be paid to the new work of Michel Hazanavicius (best known for his 2011 film, "The Artist"). In "Redoubtable," the French filmmaker recounts the relationship between star director Jean-Luc Godard and actress Anne Wiazemsky.
Image: Les Compagnons du Cinéma - Photo Philippe Aubry
Fatih Akin in competition
Following the critically acclaimed participation of "Toni Erdmann" in last year's competition, a German director has once again succeeded in entering the exclusive club of competitors. Fatih Akin will present his Hamburg-based film "In the Fade" in Cannes, starring Hollywood actress Diane Kruger.
Image: Festival de Cannes
Michael Haneke participates once again
Michael Haneke could well turn out to be the first director in the festival's history to win the Palme d'Or for the third time. Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant star in the new film by the Austrian filmmaker, "Happy End," which focuses on the refugee crisis in Europe.
Image: Festival de Cannes
Palme d'Or more valuable than ever
As the festival is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, the organizers have created a very special first prize. In 2017, the sought-after trophy will not only consist of 118 grams of pure gold. It will also be embellished with 167 diamonds - worth approximately 20,000 euros ($21,900).
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Independent US entries
What comes as a big surprise this year is that no works produced by big US film studios are participating in the competition. The US films that are vying for a Golden Palm have been produced by smaller independent studios, including the latest from director Sofia Coppola. Coppola's "The Beguiled" is the remake of a 1971 western that starred Clint Eastwood.
Image: Focus Features
Netflix productions stir a debate
Two in-competition productions by streaming provider Netflix have sparked discussion, among them "Okja" by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. The festival organizers called on Netflix to release these films in movie theaters - but they refused. As a result, the rules will be changed next year: In-competition films will have to show in cinemas.
Image: Festival de Cannes
Pedro Almodóvar will have the final word
This year, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is heading the jury that will pick the lucky winner of the Palme d'Or. Among the eight jury members are German director Maren Ade, her Italian colleague Paolo Sorrentino, as well as American actress Jessica Chastain.
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Movies from all over the world
Not only films from Western Europe, the US and Asia will compete for the trophy at the famous festival in southern France. Cannes attracts the best directors from all parts of the world, among them Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. In "Nelyubov," he tells the story of a separation. Ingmar Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" served as his inspiration, says Zvyagintsev.
Image: Festival de Cannes
French cinematography
French films are traditionally well represented at the Cannes Film Festival. One of the directors participating in the competition is once again François Ozon, who is presenting his new movie "L'Amant Double," an erotic thriller with allusions to Hitchcock.
Image: Festival de Cannes
Outstanding side shows
The programs of the sections outside the competition, such as "Un Certain Regard" or "Quinzaine des Réalisateurs," are no less solid. For Germany, the film "Western" by director Valeska Grisebach, is part of the section "Un Certain Regard." It was produced by Maren Ade's production company, Komplizen.
Image: Festival de Cannes
Polanski in Cannes
Among the famous guests at this year's Cannes Film Festival is legendary director Roman Polanski. He will present his latest movie "Based on a True Story" out of competition. The psycho-thriller about literature - a play on truth and fiction - will be shown at the end of the festival.
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Claude Lanzmann's latest work
Director Claude Lanzmann has already attained cult status - not for feature films, but for documentaries. Exploring the history of North Korea, the latest work of the 91-year-old filmmaker, "Napalm," is one of the numerous political films shown at this year's festival.
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Cannes takes a look at its own history
The series "Classics" features outstanding directors and films that once celebrated their premieres in Cannes. Marking its 70th anniversary this year, the festival has more than a few decades to look back on. Among these Cannes classics, some of them are shown in restored versions, such as "Blow up" by Michelangelo Antonioni.
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TV series find their place in Cannes
This year, Cannes is doing what other film festivals have already been doing for a long time. It is presenting entire television series, starting out with the first two sequels of the new version of "Twin Peaks." When the new episodes of David Lynch's cult series celebrate their premiere on the big screen in Cannes, they will be broadcast at the same time by Showtime all over the world.
Another first is on deck at this year's festival: Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu from Mexico will show his six-minute virtual reality film. It's still not clear how the presentation of "Carne y Arena" will be carried out. What's already known though is the topic of the experimental film - the situation of refugees in central and northern America.
Image: Reuters/M. Anzuoni
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Impressive film posters and huge billboards usually draw attention to the latest Hollywood blockbusters at the Cannes Film Festival. But this year, it's a different story. Major US film studios that tend to use Cannes as an advertising platform for their massively expensive productions are hard to find.
Not even one single movie produced by a major US film company is in the competition for the sought-after Palme d'Or.
The US film "Good Time," about a bank robbery and the relationship between brothers, is in competition Image: Festival de Cannes
US indie films compete for Golden Palm
That, however, doesn't mean that US directors are totally absent from the competition. With Sofia Coppola and Todd Haynes, two of the most interesting US filmmakers will be participating. Three additional US productions are also present - "Good Time" by Joshua and Ben Safdie, "The Meyerowitz Stories" by Noah Baumbach, and "You Were Never Really Here" by Scottish director Lynne Ramsay.
They will compete against films from Asia and Europe, with host country France dominating the scene as usual - this time, with eight productions and co-productions.
Germany is making a particularly strong showing in 2017. After having been largely ignored by its neighboring country for years, last year's triumph of Maren Ade's "Toni Erdmann" may well be responsible for the change in attitude towards Germany. In 2017, German director Fatih Akin was invited for his film "In the Fade."
Those who think broadly in terms of national categories may also count Munich-born Michael Haneke. The latest film by the Austrian citizen, "Happy End," is a German-French-Austrian co-production.
Cannes goes around the world
Some exciting films have also been contributed by Russia, Hungary and Greece, while Asia is represented by movies from Japan and South Korea.
From Greece, Giorgos Lanthimos' "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" made it into the 2017 Cannes competition Image: Festival de Cannes
But over the next week and a half, Cannes offers more than just a selection of world-renowned directors vying for prestigious trophies. The list of stars parading on the red carpet is likely to be equally impressive, and the paparazzi as numerous as ever. At least in this regard, Hollywood will be heavily represented.
Eagerly expected among the stars is Nicole Kidman, who performed in several films shown at Cannes. Hollywood star Jessica Chastain is a member of the international jury, along with Will Smith. In addition, Julianne Moore and Jake Gyllenhaal are expected to make appearances, as is Kristen Stewart. She has chosen her roles well - starring in "The Twilight Saga," for example - and achieved her international breakthrough over the last few years.
Cannes celebrates 70th anniversary
The Cannes Film Festival took place for the first time in 1946. In the post-war era back then, one of the objectives was to create a counterbalance to the Venice Film Festival, which had been discredited due to its alleged ties to Italian fascism. Cannes was intended as a celebration of culture and film - a goal that wasn't easy to achieve as the event could not take place twice due to a lack of money.
Classic works like the Turkish film "Yol" (1982) are being shown at Cannes this year Image: Imago/United Archives
There was still a long way to go. It took until the 1950s for Cannes to establish itself as the world's most important film festival. What contributed to this development may have been the special appeal of southern France and its mild climate that drew many of the world's most outstanding directors.
Back to the classics
Many productions that are now seen as classics once celebrated their premiere there, and many of them were awarded a Golden Palm - among them "The Third Man" and "La Dolce Vita," as well as later masterpieces like "Padre Padrone," "Taxi Driver" and "Yol." German directors belonging to this exclusive club are Volker Schlöndorff ("Tin Drum") and Wim Wenders ("Paris, Texas").
This year, the festival goes on a journey through its own history by featuring numerous legendary movies.
Almodóvar heads the jury
Still, as always, the main focus of the festival will remain the new productions in the competition. Spanish star director Pedro Almodóvar heads the jury. The lucky winner of the Palme d'Or, as well as other awards, will be handed out on May 28.
