CANNES, France — “Drive my car.” “The worst person in the world.” “Bergman Island.” “The French Mission.” “Memorial.” “Annette.” “Vortex.”
Each of these films — some great, all worth discussing — premiered in just 12 days at the Cannes Film Festival last year, which is the closest thing world cinema has to an Olympics.
The festival, which takes place annually in the south of France, starts its 75th edition today. And whether you’re a stargazer, with eyes on the red carpet, or a die-hard cinephile, desperately trying to get hold of a baguette in the dwindling minutes before your fifth challenging film of the day, Cannes is a spectacle to behold.
The heart of the event is a group of films, called the Official Selection, headed by the competition: about 20 films (21 this year) eligible for the prestigious Palme d’Or, awarded on the last night of the festival, the 28th of May. Last year’s Palme, given by a jury led by Spike Lee, went to “Titane”. Past recipients include “Parasite,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “The Piano.”
The official roster also includes several sidebars: out of competition (often dominated by big budgets, this year “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis”); midnight screenings; special screenings; Cannes classics; a newer section known as Cannes Premiere; and Un Certain Regard, a separate competition dedicated to lesser-known and sometimes more adventurous filmmakers than the big names vying for the Palme. And if that wasn’t enough, as the formal Cannes Film Festival unfolds, three parallel festivals are taking place elsewhere in the city – Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week and a lesser-known program called ACID.
In 2020, the entire festival was canceled due to the pandemic. Last year it went ahead, but it was unusual for many reasons, including the timing – it had been postponed from the usual May to July – and the noticeably lower turnout. Masks were mandatory (with varying enforcement), and generally anyone vaccinated outside the European Union had to show a new coronavirus negative test to enter the Palais des Festivals, the swanky convention center that serves as the festival center.
This year things will be closer to normal. There are no testing requirements and attendees are only “strongly advised to wear a mask”. Let’s hope the only outbreaks are the emergence of future classics.