At the most important annual event in the world of cinema, celebrities such as Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Gere, George Lucas, Meryl Streep and Demi Moore will parade and be honored.
But the French wave of #MeToo threatened to overshadow the start of the contest.
The presence of the new heroine of the movement in France, the actress Judith Godrche, who denounced two filmmakers who allegedly abused her in her adolescence for rape, attracts all eyes.
On the Croisette there are rumors about an alleged list of names of French film stars who could be publicly accused.
#MeToo francs
Godrche, who will present a short film made after receiving hundreds of testimonies from alleged victims in the last year, assured on the X network that she has no intention of disclosing any list.
But Elle magazine published an investigation into the testimony of nine women, who anonymously accused a prestigious producer, Alain Sarde, currently 72 years old.
For decades, Sarde would have used his power to rape or sexually assault young French cinema hopefuls, according to these testimonies, refuted by the producer’s lawyer.
Sarde is a prestigious name in French cinema, producer of about 200 films, recalls the Elle article.
“There are no rumors coming from the festival,” said the general delegate of the event, Thierry Frmaux, in a meeting with the press.
A possible strike called by a small association of cultural festival workers in France also looms over the festival.
This group has mobilized in response to the changes in the social protection system that benefits temporary workers in the sector, and which come into effect in July.
The Cannes Film Festival has declared itself open to a “dialogue” on the conflict, which in reality goes beyond its powers.
The escape of Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof
In addition to the claims, Cannes could be involved in a political controversy this year.
One of its contenders for the Palme d’Or, Iran’s Mohammad Rasoulof, in contention with The seeds of the sacred figleft his country clandestinely, where he was sentenced last week to a five-year prison sentence.
Harassed for years by the regime, Rasoulof revealed in a video that he had crossed the border.
“I confirm that Mohammad Rasoulof has left Iran and will participate in the Cannes Film Festival,” his lawyer Babk Paknia told AFP.
Coppola’s megalomaniac
The contest kicks off on Tuesday with a French film by Quentin Dupieux, a celebrated comedy author, and the awarding of an honorary Palme d’Or to American actress Meryl Streep.
From there, the contest will present a long parade of stars and long-awaited films, both inside and outside the competition for the Palm.
At 85 years old, Coppola arrives as a contender for his third award at Cannes, with Megalpolis, a film about a dreamy and ambitious architect (Adam Drive), a symbol of his own excess when making films: a budget of at least 120 million dollars, for which he had to pawn part of his properties.
Other names from that generation of filmmakers, known as New Hollywood, are Paul Schrader, who triumphed with American Gigolo and who returns to Cannes with Oh, Canadagain with Richard Gere.
The creator of Star WarsGeorge Lucas, will also be honored.
And another filmmaker of his generation, George Miller, the father of Mad Max, presents out of competition Angry, one more chapter in the saga, with star Anya Taylor-Joy.
Other proposals
The competition also has more innovative proposals, such as the French Agathe Riedinger, who arrives with her first feature film under her arm: Rough diamond.
Frenchman Jacques Audiard presents a musical comedy set in Mexico, with Selena Gómez in the cast, about a drug kingpin who wants to change his sex.
The only Ibero-American representative in the competition is the Brazilian Karim Ainouz (Firebrand), that shows Destino Motel.
Cannes will also receive the Olympic flame, on May 21, on the way to Paris for the Olympic Games, amidst a great security device.
FUENTE: AFP
