Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival Awards 2016

Sydney Levine — Fri, 27 May 2016 22:42:29 GMT

As we mounted the stairs of the Red Carpet for the last time, the Closing Night Awards for the Cannes International Film Festival were announced by the Jury President, George Miller, Director of “Mad Max: Fury Road”. The eight additional members, four women and four men -- Arnaud Desplechin, Kirsten Dunst, Valeria Golino, Mads Mikkelsen, László Nemes , Vanessa Paradis, Katayoon Shahabi and Donald Sutherland presented the awards. Surprise of the evening was that the German Competition film, Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann”, clearly an audience favorite and snatched up immediately for the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics, received no award at all. However, it was a great evening for IFC/ Sundance Selects who has the U.S. rights to three winners, "I, Daniel Blake", "Graduation" and "Personal Shopper".

The Palme d’Or went to Ken Loach for “I, Daniel Blake”, the sad drama of a disabled worker and of a young single mother of two who hold each other up as they try to navigate the social service morass which denies them their rightful ability to pursue happiness. The 79-year-old British director Ken Loach also won in 2006 for "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" and has had over 18 films selected for Cannes. This Sundance Selects acquisition brought audiences to wrenching tears.

“The festival is very important for the future of cinema,” said Loach. “When there is despair, the people from the far right take advantage. We must say that another world is possible and necessary.”

Best Director Award was split between Romanian Cristian Mungiu ("Graduation" or “Bacalaureat”) and Olivier Assayas (“Personal Shopper”). Mungiu’s "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" won the Palme d'Or in 2007. His actresses had shared the Actress prize for "Beyond the Hills." Like the Romanian 2013 Berlinale winner, “Child’s Pose” and Iranian Asghar Farhadi’s 2012 Academy Award winner, “A Separation”, the film contains object lessons about the moral choices made by humans whose actions result in greater damage than originally foreseen, especially when taking place in an already corrupted society. In this story a father tries to protect his daughter and give her the greatest opportunities for making her life better than that of her parents.

Co-winner Olivier Assayas, received his first Cannes award for "Personal Shopper" (IFC Films). This is his second English-language film starring Kristen Stewart (Cesar winner for "Clouds of Sils Maria"). As she buys fashionable attire for a rich client and tries to communicate with her twin brother, who has recently died. It was a great Cannes for Stewart, who was well-received in Woody Allen's "Cafe Society" (Amazon has U.S.) as well.

Best Screenplay went to “The Salesman” by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi (Amazon and Cohen Media Group share U.S. rights). His star, Shahab Hosseini won Best Actor his role as an actor in the midst of moving apartments and starring in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" when his wife (Taraneh Alidoosti) is assaulted in the shower of their new domicile by a man who assumes that she is the former tenant, a prostitute. Winning the Jury Prize for the third time (!) for coming of age road movie “American Honey” (A24 has U.S.) starring Shia LaBeouf and unknown Sasha Lane. British director Andrea Arnold wanted to dance as she accepted the award. Xavier Dolan, who won the 2014 Jury Prize of “Mommy” won the Grand Prix for his very theatrical "It's Only the End of the World". He cried to receive the award for his family drama starring some of the greatest French actors living today, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Gaspard Ulliel. The film has no U.S. distributor yet. To my mind, the acting far outstripped the story. I am just glad the other greatest French actor, Isabelle Huppert, was not in Dolan’s film. She had her hands full in Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” the Competition film about another woman attacked in her home by an unknown assailant. Best Actress went to Jaclyn Jose for “Ma' Rosa” by Philippine director Brillante Mendoza.

The Caméra d'Or ("Golden Camera") for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week) went to “Divines” directed by Houda Benyamina. Houda received her award with unconcealed joy and enthusiasm. The 35 year old Franco-Moroccan film director whose long and strong speech called on women to be more present in the world of cinema said, “I was always saying that I do not care about Cannes …but today, well I’m happy to be here. Cannes belongs to us too …For things to change, you have to put a lot more women in decision-making positions…I am a committed filmmaker, making films is a way to turn my [feminist] anger into perspective…Women! Women!” she added as she broke into the Arabic women’s Ululation. Houda’s film follows an impoverished young girl who drops out of school and escapes her family in search of her own emancipation and personal freedom.

Outside of the Official Awards the winner of the Queer Palm (Feature) was "Les Vies de Thérèse" by Sébastien Lifshitz and Queer Palm (Short): "Gabber Lover" Anna Cazenave-Cambet. And finally, the Palme Dog went to Nellie for “Paterson”by Jim Jarmusch.

Indiewire's 2016 Cannes Critics Poll Results: A Strong Year for Women

Steve Greene — Tue, 24 May 2016 18:32:51 GMT

The prize-winners at the Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony drew some ire from both critics and observers from afar on Sunday evening, when the jury awarded the Palme d'Or to director Ken Loach's "I, Daniel Blake." Although the film has drawn positive notice from some of the writers covering this year's festival, there were a variety of other titles with fresh voices behind the camera — and some strong women in front of them — that many felt were worth recognizing.

So, as part of our traditional post-fest Critics Poll, we gave over two dozen of those dissatisfied writers a chance to champion their favorites. The results produced a collection of films and performances with few overlaps with Sunday's festivities.

The big winner here? Maren Ade's "Toni Erdmann," the dark comedy that made Cannes audiences squirm with nervous laughter.

Finishing first in both the Best Film and Best Director categories, "Toni Erdmann" joins "Carol," "Two Days, One Night" and "Blue is the Warmest Color" as films to take the top overall Cannes prize, as voted on by the attending members of the Criticwire Network. As with past years, all films that played during the festival and its sidebars were eligible for recognition.

READ MORE: How the Cannes Film Festival Made Movies Exciting Again — Critic's Notebook

The other standout from the 2016 results is Paul Verhoeven's "Elle," which after its premiere, drew across-the-board raves for Isabelle Huppert's star turn. That positive acclaim carried over to the Best Lead Performance category, where Huppert finished at the top, ahead of "Erdmann" lead Sandra Hüller and Sonia Braga, the star of Kleber Mendonça Filho's "Aquarius."

The Palme winner didn't go unrecognized by our assembled group, with Hayley Squires taking Best Supporting Performance for her turn as a single mother in "I, Daniel Blake." "Paterson" co-star Golshifteh Farahani and Shia LaBeouf's turn in Andrea Arnold's "American Honey" came in second and third, respectively.

Overall, on the performance side, it was a strong year for actresses, with seven of the top 10 performances being women. Add in Sunday's honoree Jaclyn Jose ("Ma' Rosa") and the combined Lead/Supporting totals for Ruth Negga's portrayal of Mildred Loving ("Loving") and there's plenty to look forward to in the months to come.

The rest of the top five in the Best Director tally mirrored those in Best Film. Park Chan-Wook's work on his new film "The Handmaiden" put him alongside Arnold, Jim Jarmusch and Verhoeven, joining Ade at the top. A pair of Romania's top talents also cracked the top tier in the Best Screenplay category: Cristi Puiu's "Sieranevada" and Cristian Mungiu's "Graduation."

READ MORE: The 2016 Indiewire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival

And, as part of the annual reminder that not all Cannes offerings can be cinematic triumphs, we also asked critics for their least favorite. 2016's ignominious honor went to Sean Penn's "The Last Face."

Last year's winners in this poll turned out to be some of the year's most well-regarded films (and some of 2016's too, if you count "The Lobster"). Time will tell when Ade, Huppert, Squires and the rest will get their chance at more international acclaim.

To see the full results of this year's Cannes Critics Poll, including links to individual critics' ballots, visit our survey homepage here.

Nicolas Winding Refn To Produce Remake of Giallo Film 'What Have You Done To Solange?'

Vikram Murthi — Mon, 23 May 2016 15:33:09 GMT

Nicolas Winding Refn has been pretty busy as of late. His latest film "The Neon Demon," about an aspiring model (Elle Fanning) who moves to Los Angeles only to fall prey to the beauty-obsessed women in the industry, just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and is set for a June 24th release date in the United States. But now Deadline reports that Refn has signed on to produce a remake of Massimo Dallamano's "What Have You Done To Solange?" The film follows a teacher Enrico Rosseni (Fabio Testi) who's suspected of being a serial murderer at the all-girls school where he works. Based on the Edgar Wallace novel "The Clue of the New Pin," the film was scored by the legendary composer Ennio Morricone. Refn describes the film as an "absolutely incredible Italian giallo movie. One of the great, great horror films from the period."

READ MORE: Nicolas Winding Refn Says Lars Von Trier Tried To Sleep With His Wife -- Cannes 2016

Refn's Danish film production company Space Rocket Nation will produce "What Have You Done To Solange?" The film will be the third horror remake that Refn is attached to after William Lustig's "Maniac Cop" and Michael Reeves' "Witchfinder General." Regarding Space Rocket's recent slate, Refn says that it's a "continuing renewal of genre movies" in order to bring them to a new audience, and that he's "cherry-picked films that [he thinks has] a strong potential to be reinvented and also something that is artistically out there." As with the two prior films, Refn is set only to produce and not direct.

Development on "What Have You Done To Solange?" has already begun and production will begin "whenever it's possible."

READ MORE: 'Neon Demon' New Trailer: Elle Fanning Is Fresh Meat in Nicolas Winding Refn's Fashion-World Thriller

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The 2016 Indiewire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival

Kate Erbland — Mon, 23 May 2016 01:53:00 GMT

FILM REVIEWS

Cannes Review: Mel Gibson is Officially a B-Movie Star With 'Blood Father'

Cannes Review: Chris Pine and Ben Foster Are Unstoppable Bank Robbers in David Mackenzie's 'Hell or High Water'

Cannes Review: 'Fiore' Is an Arresting Coming-of-Age Story Set in Juvenile Detention

Cannes Review: Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' is a Lighthearted Rape-Revenge Story

Cannes Review: Laura Poitras' Julian Assange Doc 'Risk' is a Prequel to 'Citizenfour'

Cannes Review: Sean Penn's 'The Last Face' is His Worst Movie

Cannes Review: 'The Neon Demon' is a Twisted Ride of Sex, Blood, and Necrophilia

Cannes Review: 'Wrong Elements' Is 'The Act of Killing' for the Ugandan Civil War

Cannes Review: Studio Ghibli-Produced 'The Red Turtle' is a Quiet Little Masterpiece

Cannes Review: 'Julieta' is Pedro Almodovar's Most Conventional Movie

Cannes Review: Vincent Cassel Steals the Show in Xavier Dolan's 'It's Only the End of the World'

Cannes Review: Sonia Braga Gives a Brilliant Performance in 'Aquarius'

Cannes Review: 'The Unknown Girl' is Dardenne Brothers Doing a Detective Movie

Cannes Review: 'Dogs' Is a Hollow Romanian Riff on 'No Country for Old Men'

Cannes Review: Bill Paxton is Terrifying in Terrence Malick-Inspired 'Mean Dreams'

Cannes Review: Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas Deserve Better Than Boos for 'Personal Shopper'

Cannes Review: 'American Honey' Proves Andrea Arnold is One of the Best Working Filmmakers and Finds a Breakout Star in Sasha Lane

Cannes Review: Wise Doc 'The Cinema Travelers' Finds the Future of Film in the Remote Corners of India

Cannes Review: Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga Turn Jeff Nichols' 'Loving' Into a Welcome Challenge to Hollywood Melodrama

Cannes Review: Adam Driver Stars in Jim Jarmusch's 'Paterson,' His Most Intimate Film

Cannes Review: 'The Handmaiden' is a Sexy and Depraved Lesbian Revenge Story from Park Chan-wook

Review: Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe Are Funnier Than Ever in 'The Nice Guys'

Cannes Review: 'One Week and a Day' Is a Moving Israeli Dramedy About Grief and Getting High

Cannes Review: 'Tour de France' Is A Half-Hearted 'Gran Torino' Remake Starring Gérard Depardieu As Clint Eastwood

Cannes Review: 'Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' Is a Touching Mother-Daughter Documentary

Cannes Review: 'The BFG' is Spielberg By the Numbers

Cannes Review: 'Toni Erdmann' Has the Funniest Nude Scene of All Time — But It's Not a Comedy

Cannes Review: Gael Garcia Bernal is a Lost Soul in Pablo Larrain's Absorbing 'Neruda'

Cannes Review: Why 'I, Daniel Blake' is Ken Loach's Best Movie in Years

Cannes Review: Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg Freshen Up a Familiar Woody Allen Formula in 'Cafe Society'

Cannes Review: This Three-Hour Romanian Drama is a Tough Sit, But That's Not Always a Bad Thing

Review: Jodie Foster's 'Money Monster' Wants to Be ‘Network' for the Occupy Wall Street Age

Cannes Review: Wacky Gay Sex and a Fear of Wolves Aren't the Craziest Things About 'Staying Vertical'

Cannes Review: Bruno Dumont's 'Slack Bay' is a Middle Finger to French Society

INTERVIEWS

Meet the Woman Director Who's Taking Cannes 2016 By the Storm (Springboard)

Xavier Dolan Is Going To Focus On Acting, Even If It Slows Down His Directing Efforts

Cannes 2016: City-Dwelling Vampires Meet Neo-Realism in 'The Transfiguration'

Cannes 2016: What Cameras Were Used to Shoot This Year's Films

Cannes 2016: Terry Gilliam on 'Continual Failure' and 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'

Nicolas Cage and Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog' Is 'Our Redemption' After Being Screwed By Producers

'The Neon Demon': Nicolas Winding Refn Reveals Why His Vampire Model Movie Is Autobiographical

Jim Jarmusch DP Frederick Elmes on Capturing the Soulful Essence of 'Paterson'

Viggo Mortensen Doesn't Need to Make Big Movies Anymore

Why Chloe Sevigny Waited 20 Years To Make Her Directorial Debut With The Female-Friendly 'Kitty'

Cannes 2016 Video: With 'Money Monster,' Director Jodie Foster Takes Control

Shane Black Q&A: How Ryan Gosling Helped 'The Nice Guys' Get Made After 13 Years

Why 87-Year-Old Alejandro Jodorowsky is at the Peak of His Career

Cannes 2016: Meet Jason Ishikawa, The New Head of Cinetic's International Sales Division

Cannes 2016: Meet Camille Bertrand, Manager Of Acquisitions At Bleecker Street

Cannes 2016: Meet Ben Braun, Director of Sales and Distribution at Submarine

Cannes 2016: Meet Ania Trzebiatowska, Manager of Acquisitions At Visit Films

Cannes 2016: Meet Dan Schoenbrun, Documentary Film Outreach Lead At Kickstarter

Cannes 2016: Meet Mikey Schwartz-Wright, Agent At UTA

Why Cannes Programmers Are Stubborn About The Future Of Cinema — And Potentially Right

Who Is Michael O'Shea and How Did His American Indie Vampire Movie Get Into Cannes?

FEATURES

How the Cannes Film Festival Made Movies Exciting Again — Critic's Notebook

Cannes 2016 Palme d'Or Candidates: Here's a Look at the Likely Winners

Live at Cannes 2016: The Best and Worst of This Year's Festival (Podcast)

Here's Where You Can Watch Every Palme d'Or Winner

Cannes: Why STX Spent $50 Million on a Scorsese Movie That Doesn't Exist

Cannes: Why These New Rules Could Put European Independent Film in Crisis

Why 'Loving' is Leading the Oscar Buzz at Cannes

DreamWorks Animation's 'Trolls' May Be Jeffrey Katzenberg's Last Cannes

The 20 Best Palme d'Or Winners at the Cannes Film Festival

The Woody Allen Rape Joke Wasn't the Only Event on the First Day of Cannes — Critic's Notebook

Cannes 2016: French Producers Plot World Domination

Cannes 2016: How The Festival Uses Bad Math to Justify The Lack of Female Filmmakers (Girl Talk)

Cannes 2016: Here's 11 Movies By Female Filmmakers That Should Have Been at the Festival

How the Cannes Film Festival is Making Us Think About the Film Industry (Podcast)

NEWS

'I, Daniel Blake' Reviews: Ken Loach's Surprise Palme d'Or Winner Receives Mixed Reactions from Cannes

'Elle' Review Roundup: Paul Verhoeven's Controversial Return Draws Universal Acclaim For Isabelle Huppert

'The Last Face': Sean Penn’s Passion Project Ripped To Shreds On Twitter After Cannes Debut

Cannes: Paul Schrader's 'Dog Eat Dog' Deserves a Buyer

Nicolas Winding Refn Says Lars Von Trier Tried To Sleep With His Wife -- Cannes 2016

'The Neon Demon' First Reviews: Five-Star Raves and Qualified Praise from Cannes

'The Neon Demon' First Reactions: Walkouts, Yelling at the Screen and a Five-Star Review in Cannes

Cannes: Sony Pictures Classics Jumps On Oscar Candidates at the Festival

Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives Standing Ovation At Cannes Premiere After Getting Booed

'It's Only the End of the World' Reviews: Xavier Dolan's Latest Is a 'Total Misfire'

Cannes: 'Aquarius' Director Kleber Mendonça Filho Protests Brazilian 'Coup' Before World Premiere

Cannes Critics' Week: Enter to Win Online Festival Pass to Screen Short Films

Jim Jarmusch: Why I've Never Seen A 'Star Wars' Film

Cannes 2016: Mary Pickford Biopic 'The First' Looking To Cast Hollywood Royalty - Exclusive

Susan Sarandon Slams Woody Allen at Cannes: 'He Sexually Assaulted a Child'

Sean Penn Bashes the 'Ubiquitous Fraud' He Encountered in Hollywood Trying to Make 'The Last Face'

Blake Lively Says Woody Allen Is 'Empowering To Women' In New Interview

Natalie Portman’s Kennedy Biopic 'Jackie' Swarmed By Cannes Buyers - Exclusive

David Cronenberg: Why He’s Considering Retiring From Filmmaking

Blake Lively Offended By Woody Allen Rape Joke At Cannes, Criticizes Festival For Raunchy Humor

French Comic Laurent Lafitte Says His Woody Allen Rape Joke at Cannes Was Misinterpreted

Cannes: Paris Hilton Documentary to be Produced by XYZ Films and 9.14 Pictures

Cannes 2016: Jury Reacts to Woody Allen Attack on Competition

Cannes 2016 Market Roundup: Marion Cotillard, Idris Elba and More Set New Projects

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's 'The Trip To Spain' To Be Sold At Cannes

Cannes: French Comedian Makes Woody Allen Rape Joke During Opening Ceremony

Ronan Farrow Slams Father Woody Allen & Hollywood 'Silence' To Sexual Abuse Allegations

'The Neon Demon': Nicolas Winding Refn’s 'Verbal Jabs' at Models to Keep Tension High & 8 More Set Secrets

PANELS & PRESS CONFERENCES

Sean Penn Deflects Criticism of 'The Last Face,' Says He Stands Behind the Film

Cannes: 'Elle' Director Paul Verhoeven and Isabelle Huppert Defend Controversial Rape Thriller

Nicolas Winding Refn on Elle Fanning and His 'Perverse Dream of Being a 16-Year-Old Girl'

Cannes: With 'Risk,' Laura Poitras Ignites Demand For Julian Assange's Release

Cannes: Xavier Dolan Calls 'It's Only the End of the World' His Best Film

Terry Gilliam on 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote': The Movie's Curse Is Bullsh*t

'The Unknown Girl' Directors The Dardenne Brothers Say They're Really Just One Person

'Neon Demon' New Trailer: Elle Fanning Is Fresh Meat in Nicolas Winding Refn's Fashion-World Thriller

'Neruda' Trailer: Watch Gael Garcia Bernal Search For Poet Pablo Neruda In New Cannes Drama

'Hell or High Water' Trailer: Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges Are Rebels Without A Cause in Action Drama

'Personal Shopper' Poster & Clip: First Look at Kristen Stewart's Spiritualist in Olivier Assayas' Cannes Drama

'Pericle' Exclusive Clip: A First Look at Mob Enforcer Crime Drama Ahead of Its Cannes Premiere

Xavier Dolan’s 'It's Only the End of the World': New Stills From The Heartbreaking Family Drama

'Mimosas' Exclusive Poster & Trailer: First Look at Oliver Laxe's Tale of Two Worlds

Paul Schrader’s 'Dog Eat Dog' Clips & Photos: Nicolas Cage Stars in Dour Crime Thriller

'American Honey': Watch First Clip From Andrea Arnold’s Gritty & Surreal Cannes Darling

'Loving' Poster: Jeff Nichols’ Interracial Romance Showcases Joel Edgerton & Ruth Negga’s Devotion

'Fiore' Exclusive Clip: Petty Theft Leads To A Juvenile Detention Love Story

'Personal Shopper' Trailer: Kristen Stewart Is Haunted In Booed Cannes Film

'The Unknown Girl' First Clips: Adèle Haenel Grapples with Guilt in Dardenne Brothers' Cannes Drama

'The Neon Demon' Poster Shows The Vicious Side of Beauty

'Loving' Clip: Joel Edgerton Asks Ruth Negga a Life-Changing Question in Jeff Nichols' Cannes Drama

'The Neon Demon' New Clips: Elle Fanning Shows Her Walk in Nicolas Winding Refn's Cannes Thriller

ACQUISITIONS

Film Acquisition Rundown, Week of April 11: Lionsgate to Release 'Cafe Society,' Sundance Selects Buys Before Cannes

Cannes 2016 Film Acquisition Roundup: Every Deal Coming Out Of The Film Festival

Cannes Buy: The Orchard Acquires 'Neruda,' Starring Gael García Bernal and Luis Gnecco

Martin Scorsese & Robert De Niro’s Mob Drama 'The Irishman' Sells for $50 Million at Cannes — Report

Quentin Tarantino Documentary '21 Years' Will Go Behind the Scenes, Gets the Weinstein Treatment

AWARDS

Cannes 2016: Complete List of This Year's Winners

Un Certain Regard Winners: 'The Red Turtle' & 'The Happiest Day' Honored At Cannes

'Wolf and Sheep’ Beats ‘Neruda' for Top Honors at Directors' Fortnight Awards at Cannes

The 2016 Palm Dog Posthumously Awarded to Nellie, The Dog From Jim Jarmusch's 'Paterson'

Cannes 2016: Watch the Palme d'Or Awards Ceremony Live

Cannes Awards Wrap: How George Miller's Jury Picked the Winners — And Losers

Un Certain Regard Winners: 'The Red Turtle' & 'The Happiest Day' Honored At Cannes

Liz Calvario — Sat, 21 May 2016 18:57:59 GMT

The winners for the Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival were announced today with "The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki" directed by Juho Kuosmanen nabbing the top prize of the night.

"Thank you for your weird taste in cinema," the director said upon receiving the award. "I am so surprised and happy."

The black and white feature is based on the true story of the Finnish boxer Olli Mäki and his highly hyped 1962 championship match against the American featherweight champion Davey Moore. The film follows Olli as he unexpectedly falls in love and becomes more committed to pursuing a budding romance than training for his greatest fight.

READ MORE: 'The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki' Trailer And Poster Shows The Inspiring Boxer Falling In Love

The Jury Prize went to Japanese writer-director Kôju Fukada’s "Harmonium," about a man released from prison who causes havoc on the family of an old acquaintance.

The Best Director prize went to Matt Ross for his film "Captain Fantastic" starring Vigggo Mortensen. The story follows a father who's raised six children in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. When his wife dies, the family leaves the woods to attend the funeral and must learn how to assimilate into society.

READ MORE: 'Captain Fantastic' Trailer: Viggo Mortensen Isolates His Family For Love -- Watch

Delphine and Muriel Coulin took home the award for Best Screenplay for their film "The Stopover." The feminist military drama is adapted from Delphine's novel "Voir du pays," which traces the tensions between two servicewomen returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Special Jury Prize when to "The Red Turtle" by Michaël Dudok de Wit. The immaculate film was considered one of the most beautiful features to arrive at the festival. The French-Japanese animated movie tells the story of a man shipwrecked at sea who becomes stranded on a deserted island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds. He learns to live in isolation, until he comes upon a woman lost at sea and begins a life with her.

READ MORE: 'The Red Turtle' Trailer: Studio Ghibli Returns With A Mesmerizing Silent Film

The complete list of winners:

Un Certain Regard Prize: Juho Kuosmanen, "The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki"
Jury Prize: Kôji Fukada, "Harmonium"
Best Director: Matt Ross, "Captain Fantastic"
Best Screenplay: Delphine and Muriel Coulin, "The Stopover"
Special Jury Prize: Michaël Dudok de Wit, "The Red Turtle"

READ MORE: 'Wolf and Sheep’ Beats ‘Neruda' for Top Honors at Directors' Fortnight Awards at Cannes

Earlier in the day the Fipresci Prizes were also announced, honoring Maren Ade's German comedy "Toni Erdmann," about a woman and her prank-loving father, with the Competition prize. "Dogs" (Caini) by Romanian helmer Bogdan Miraca received the nomination for the Un Certain Regard section and for the sidebar sections of Directors' Fortnight/Critics Week, the cannibal film "Raw," directed by Julia Ducournau, received the prize for a first film.

The top prizes for the main selections will be handed out on Sunday night during the closing ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.

Watch the mesmerizing trailer for “The Red Turtle” below:

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Cannes 2016 Film Acquisition Roundup: Every Deal Coming Out Of The Film Festival

Kate Erbland — Fri, 20 May 2016 20:06:00 GMT

With the deals flying fast and furious at Cannes Film Festival, we'll be updating every big pickup and snappy deal right here. (Newest acquisitions will be updated on the top.)

Need more acquisitions info? Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that's been picked up around the globe. Check out last week's Film Acquisition Rundown to find out what films got new homes and are coming to a theater or streaming platform near you.

- The Orchard has announced that the company has acquired all North American rights to Academy Award-nominee Oren Moverman’s upcoming film "The Dinner." Moverman wrote the screenplay, which is based on the popular Herman Koch novel of the same name. The film stars Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny and Adepero Oduye. The Orchard plans a fall release for the film.

- Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America and Latin America to Michael Dudok de Wit's "The Red Turtle," which premiered in Un Certain Regard this week. Through the story of a man shipwrecked on a tropical island inhabited by turtles, crabs and birds, 'The Red Turtle' recounts the milestones in the life of a human being."

- Another big buy for Amazon. The streaming giant has picked up the rights for Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhardi's "The Salesman." Amazon will partner on the domestic release of the film with Cohen Media Group. The film is playing in competition at Cannes. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Adopt Films has acquired all U.S. rights from The Match Factory to Eran Kolirin’s "Beyond the Mountains and Hills," Israel’s Official Selection in this year’s ongoing Un Certain Regard competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Adopt is planning a broad theatrical release for the film in the first quarter of 2017.

- Cohen Media Group has acquired all English-speaking North American distribution rights to "Journey Through French Cinema," master director Bertrand Tavernier's feature documentary, which provides a sweeping survey of the history of French film from the 1930's –1970's. The film had its world premiere at Cannes on May 16. It will be released in U.S. and Canadian theaters later this year.

- Sundance Selects has picked up the U.S. rights for Ken Loach's very well-received Cannes premiere, "I, Daniel Blake." The film is screening in competition at the festival.

- GKids has purchased all North American rights to the animated feature "The Girl Without Hands" after the film’s premiere screening at Cannes. The film is billed as "an adult fairytale based on a story by the Brothers Grimm. It’s directed by Sébastien Laudenbach from his own script and produced by Les Films Sauvages. The story is set in hard times, with a miller selling his daughter to the Devil. Protected by her purity, she escapes from the Devil who, in revenge, deprives her of her hands." Fun! The news was first reported by Variety.

- Haut et Court has picked up French rights to Yorgos Lanthimos’ new project "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," which reteams him with his "Lobster" star Colin Farrell. A24 picked up the domestic rights on the first day of the Cannes market. The film will start shooting this August.

- Sony Pictures Classics has have acquired all rights in North America and Latin America to "Toni Erdmann," Maren Ade's latest, which is playing in competition at Cannes. The film stars Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller and follows "practical joker Winfried (Simonischek) [who] disguises himself as flashy “Toni Erdmann” to get busy Ines’ (Hüller) attention and change her corporate lifestyle. The father-daughter challenge reaches absurd proportions until Ines begins to see that her eccentric father deserves a place in her life."

- Earlier this week, STX Entertainment made big waves by plunking down a reported $9 million for Aaron Sorkin's "Molly's Game," then the biggest deal out of Cannes, and now they've upped that considerably for another big, big buy. The outfit has apparently purchased the international rights for Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" for a deal that might be worth about $50 million. If that number holds, it could be a record for Cannes. The news was first reported by Deadline, who've got the full (and kind of wild) story.

- Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights for Alain Guiraudie’s "Staying Vertical," which premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The dark comedy follows filmmaker Leo "who in the process of finishing his screenplay in a series of unexpected sexual situations that leave him in some very uncomfortable but humorous scenarios." Strand previously released Guiraudie’s critically acclaimed and commercial success, "Stranger By the Lake," which also premiered as an official selection in the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.

- Magnolia Pictures' Magnet Releasing has picked up the North American rights to Christopher Smith's "Detour," a thriller that recently premiered at Tribeca. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Emory Cohen and Bel Powley in "a stylized noir tale about a college student whose attempts for revenge don’t go exactly as planned. Detour marks Smith’s third collaboration with Magnet." The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Producers Cassian Elwes and Andre Gaines are producing a remake of the 1972 revenge thriller "Fear Is The Key," after purchasing the rights from StudioCanal. "The story, based on a book by Alistair MacLean, takes place in Louisiana and follows the character of John Talbot as he plots an elaborate revenge scheme on the people who killed his family in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico. By pretending to be a criminal, Talbot gets close to the culprits, helping them retrieve the priceless cargo of the lost plane from the bottom of the Gulf." The news was first reported by Deadline.

- The Weinstein Company is in negotiations to pick up North American rights to the Jeremy Renner- and Elizabeth Olsen-starring "Wind River." Directed by Taylor Sheridan, "the film follows a Fish and Game Department employee (Renner) who stumbles upon the body of a teenage girl frozen in the desolate wilderness. He is enlisted by a rookie FBI agent unfamiliar with the terrain to help find those responsible." The news was first reported by THR.

- Focus Features has made a deal for the majority of key international territories on Andrea Arnold’s Cannes premiere "American Honey." A24 had previously acquired the film for domestic distribution. Focus has picked up rights in UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. The film will debut on Sunday. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- The Orchard has acquired North American rights to Pablo Larrain’s Gael Garcia Bernal-starring "Neruda," billed as "an unconventional take on the famed Chilean politician-poet, following the film’s world premiere at Directors’ Fortnight." The distributor plans a fall release for the film, complete with an awards push. The news was first reported by Variety.

- Open Road has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to "Before I Fall," the Ry Russo-Young-directed adaptation of the popular 2010 Lauren Oliver YA novel. Open Road committed to a wide release of 2,000 screens for the feature. The film stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Kian Lawley, Logan Miller, Cynthy Wu, Elena Kampouris, Medalion Rahimi and Jennifer Beals, and comes complete with a Black List script by by Maria Maggenti. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Broad Green Pictures will distribute Ron Shelton's "Villa Capri," starring Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones. The film will hit theaters on August 25, 2017 and kicks off production in New Mexico this summer.

- The Weinstein Company has acquired North American and UK rights to "Hotel Mumbai," a new film about the 2008 terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. Dev Patel and Armie Hammer will start in the film, which will be directed by Anthony Maras. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Remstar Films has acquired the comedy "Ideal Home" for all rights in Canada. Written and directed by Andrew Fleming, the film stars Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan as "a bickering couple with an extravagant life. Erasmus (Coogan) is a demanding, popular celebrity, and Paul (Rudd) is his more hesitant partner and sidekick. But when Bill, the grandson Erasmus never knew he had, shows up at their high class dinner party with nowhere else to go, the couple reluctantly decide to take him in." The comedy began production on May 11 and is currently shooting in New Mexico.

- Nathan Morlando’s crime thriller "Mean Dreams," which will have its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight, has sold to France’s LaBelle Company. Elevation Pictures will distribute the film theatrically in Canada. The news was first reported by Variety.

- This year's biggest Cannes deal looks to be in the final stages of shaping up. STX Entertainment is reportedly in "exclusive negotiations" to pay around $9 million for the U.S. and China rights to Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut, "Molly's Game," starring Jessica Chasten and Idris Elba. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- UPDATED: A24 is continuing its Cannes hot streak, and is in final negotiations to acquire Lynne Ramsay's Joaquin Phoenix-starring "You Were Never Really Here." The film reportedly "focuses on a former war veteran (played by Phoenix) who tries to save women trapped in the world of sex trafficking. Ramsay adapted the script herself, which is based on a novel by Jonathan Ames. Production will start this summer. The news was first reported by Variety, who also share that A24 and Amazon Studios were locked in a bidding war for the film. UPDATED: Turns out, that bidding war was much hotter than initially anticipated, as Amazon has emerged victorious from lots of late night wheeling and dealing and has picked up the film. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Linmon Pictures has picked up Steven Soderbergh's "top secret" new project "Logan Lucky" for distribution in China. The film stars Channing Tatum, Michael Shannon and Adam Driver and will feature Tatum and Shannon as brothers "who plan a heist during a high-profile NASCAR race." The news was first reported by THR.

- Level 33 Entertainment and Recreation Media have joined forces to acquire worldwide rights to horror title "The Caretaker" from Blue Fox Entertainment. Written by Jeremy Robinson and directed by Jeff Prugh, the film stars Meegan Warner and Sondra Blake and follows "a young woman returns home to care for her gravely ill grandmother only to begin sleepwalking, envisioning spirits and uncovering dark secrets in her family’s past." Level 33 will be releasing the film in North America in the Fall of 2016, while international sales will commence at the upcoming Cannes film market, through Level 33’s partnership with Recreation Media.

- A24 has acquired the U.S. rights to "It Follows" director David Robert Mitchell's next feature, the Andrew Garfield-starring "Under the Silver Lake." Mitchell will both write and direct the film, which is set to start shooting at this end of this summer. The deal was completed at Cannes.

- Saban Films is closing in on the North American distribution rights to "War on Everyone," written and directed by the universally acclaimed John Michael McDonagh. The action comedy made its World Premiere at the 2016 Berlinale followed by its U.S. Premiere at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival, and stars Michael Peña, Alexander Skarsgård, Theo James and Tessa Thompson. The film "follows two corrupt cops in New Mexico who set out to blackmail and frame every criminal unfortunate enough to cross their path. Things take a sinister turn, however, when they try to intimidate someone who is more dangerous than they are. Or is he?"

- Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Sean Ellis’ World War II drama "Anthropoid" from LD Entertainment. The film is based on the true story of "Operation Anthropoid," the code name for the Czech operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, who was the Reich's third in command behind Hitler and Himmler. The film stars Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan as soldiers who are tasked with assassinating Heydrich with very limited resources.

- The Weinstein Company has snapped up the U.S. rights to the French animated film "Ballerina." The English-language version will feature Elle Fanning as the voice lead "of 1884 orphaned girl Felicie Milliner, who at 11 strives to become a professional ballet dancer at the Paris Opera." The movie is billed as "an ambitious $30 million Pixar-style musical in 3D" and is currently in production in Montreal. The news was first reported by Variety.

- Sony Pictures Classics has picked up Paul Verhoeven's Isabelle Huppert-starring "Elle." The speciality arm of the studio acquired rights in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe (excluding Russia) and Asia (excluding China and Japan) for the film. The feature was written by David Birke and is based on Phillipe Djian’s novel "Oh…" Per the film's official synopsis: "Michèle (Huppert) seems indestructible. Head of a leading video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control." The film will screen In Competition at the festival.

- Amazon has reportedly snapped up Mike Leigh's next project, the historical drama "Peterloo." The streaming giant is reportedly in talks to pick up North American rights to the feature, which will film in 2017. The film "chronicles the 1819 massacre by British government forces at a peaceful pro-democracy rally, where some 700 working people were injured and 18 killed." The news was first reported by THR.

- A24 is staying cozy with Yorgos Lanthimos. The indie outfit will release his "The Lobster" later this week, and they've already signed on to distribute his next (and just-announced) new feature, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." The film will re-team the Greek director with his "Lobster" star Colin Farrell, in a film that " follows a young man that needs to take revenge, a doctor that has to make a decision, and his family that must survive." Production will start in August in the U.S. The news was first reported by Deadline.

- Amazon Studios and STX Entertainment will next team up Nash Edgerton's currently untitled directorial project. The collaboration is the first between the streaming player and STX. The new film will star David Oyelowo, Nash's brother Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron. The action-comedy reportedly "centers on a businessman (Oyelowo) who seems to be living the American dream with a new wife and a stake in a pharmaceutical company that's about to go public. Then everything falls apart, and he ends up stranded south of the border, discovering that his seemingly perfect life never really existed." Anthony Tambakis and Matt Stone penned the script for the film. The feature is currently in production in Mexico City. The news was first reported by THR.

- Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the LGBT documentary "Seed Money." The doc follows the life of Chuck Holmes, the San Francisco pornographer turned philanthropist behind Falcon Studios. The doc features interviews with John Waters, Jeff Stryker, Jake Shears, John Rutherford, Chi Chi LaRue and California politicians Mark Leno and Carole Midgen. The film will be sold at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival market. Breaking Glass is planning a U.S. release for October 2016.

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'Wolf and Sheep’ Beats ‘Neruda' for Top Honors at Directors' Fortnight Awards at Cannes

Liz Calvario — Fri, 20 May 2016 18:46:13 GMT

"Wolf and Sheep," directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat, received the Art Cinema Award at the Director's Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night.

The Fortnight is a non-competitive sidebar, but a handful of its commercial and cinema industry sponsors attribute honors.

The Afghan director's film, which also goes by "The Story of an Afghan Community," is based on the Central Afghanistan village where Sadat grew up and follows a group of young children who work as shepherd. This isn't Sadat’s first venture at Cannes, her first short film "Vice Versa One" was selected at Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 2011.

READ MORE: Cannes Directors' Fortnight Features Laura Poitras' 'Risk,' Sólveig Anspach's Last Film and 2 Debuts

The SACD Prize, awarded to a French-language film, went to "L'Effet aquatique" (The Together Project), directed by the late Sólveig Anspach, who passed away last year. The comedy follows a man pretending he can’t swim in order to get closer to the lifeguard he’s fallen in love with.

On Sunday night during the closing ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, the top prizes for the main selections will be handed out.

Below is the full list of awards handed out at the 2016 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight/Quinzaine des Realisateurs:

Art Cinema Award to a feature film
"Wolf & Sheep," directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat

SACD Award to a French-language feature film
"L’Effet Aquatique" (The Together Project) directed by Solveig Anspach

SACD special mention
"Divines" directed by Houda Benyamina

The Europa Cinemas Label to a European feature film
"Mercenaire" (Mercenary) directed by Sacha Wolff

Illy Prize to a short film
"Chasse Royal" directed by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret

Illy special mention
"Zvir" (The Beast) directed by Miroslav Sikavica

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The 2016 Palm Dog Posthumously Awarded to Nellie, The Dog From Jim Jarmusch's 'Paterson'

Vikram Murthi — Fri, 20 May 2016 17:37:44 GMT

As the Cannes Film Festival wraps up for the year, it'll soon be time to bestow awards to the most deserving films, directors, and performers. But before awards like the Palme D'Or and the Grand Prix get all the attention, it's time for the Palm Dog, an alternative award presented by international film critics to the best performance by a canine or a group of canines during the festival. This year was a no-brainer for the jury as they awarded the Palm Dog to Nellie, an English bulldog who played the role of Marvin in Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson." Since Nellie tragically passed away a couple months ago, she made history by being the first dog to be posthumously awarded the Palm Dog. Producer Carter Logan said that Nellie "was an incredible performer" and "had a unique voice and was able to express herself." Logan also added that Nellie was a rescue dog and encouraged those in attendance to adopt a dog in honor of the late performer.

READ MORE: Cannes Review: Adam Driver Stars in Jim Jarmusch's 'Paterson,' His Most Intimate Film

The jury prize was awarded to Jacques, a French Dalmatian from Justine Triet’s "In Bed With Victoria." The Palm Dogmanitarian award went to director Ken Loach for showcasing a three-legged dog named Shae in his film "I, Daniel Blake." The jury members this year include The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, The Independent's Kaleem Aftab, The Times' Kate Muir, and more.

The Palm Dog was first awarded in 2001. Previous winners include Moses in Lars von Trier's "Dogville," Lucy in Kelly Reichardt's "Wendy and Lucy," Uggie in Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist," and last year's winner Lucky the Maltipoo in Miguel Gomes' "Arabian Nights."

READ MORE: Cannes: Jim Jarmusch on Adam Driver, 'Paterson,' and the Movies He Refuses to Watch

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'The Last Face': Sean Penn’s Passion Project Ripped To Shreds On Twitter After Cannes Debut

Vikram Murthi — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:26:42 GMT

Though Sean Penn is best known for his storied acting career, garnering acclaim for performances in films like "Milk," "Mystic River," "Carlito's Way," "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," but he's also received acclaim for his directorial work dating back to his 1991 debut film "The Indian Runner." His 2007 film "Into The Wild," an adaptation of Jon Krakauer's book of the same name about Christopher McCandless's trek in the Alaskan wilderness, was nominated for a slew of awards and was a commercial success. But his latest film "The Last Face," about the head of an international aid organization (Charlize Theron) falling in love with a relief doctor (Javier Bardem) amidst war-torn Africa, just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to some of the worst reviews of his career. Though Olivier Assayas' "Personal Shopper" received a few boos and Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon" a highly polarized reaction, "The Last Face" is considered by many to be the worst film of the festival bar none. Indiewire's own Eric Kohn gave it a D, calling it Penn's "worst movie" and "the cinematic equivalent of a Nicolas Kristof op-ed stuffed into the atmosphere of a Gabriel García Márquez novel, doing a disservice to both traditions."

READ MORE: Sean Penn Bashes the 'Ubiquitous Fraud' He Encountered in Hollywood Trying to Make 'The Last Face'

Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney called it a "self-important but numbingly empty cocktail of romance and insulting refugee porn"; The Guardian's Benjamin Lee says that it's an "extended Band Aid video" that's a "staggering misfire for everyone involved"; and Telegraph's Tim Robey says it's so bad that "it wouldn't be at all surprising if [Penn's] old pal Bono showed up to lend a hand, flying over by private jet to drop some personalized aid packages. But then the hopeful orphans would open these, and they'd only contain CDs of 'The Joshua Tree.'"

Ahead of more full reviews, here are some reactions from Twitter:

THE LAST FACE: A transcendently bad movie about aid workers and African suffering. But to its credit, the romance is actually worse.

— Alison Willmore (@alisonwillmore) May 20, 2016

Sean Penn's THE LAST FACE. Unforgivably dreadful. Well-intended refugee drama let down in every area. Staggeringly bad. #Cannes2016

— Donald Clarke (@DonaldClarke63) May 20, 2016

Elapsed time in THE LAST FACE before the audience started laughing at it: Maybe 30 seconds. That's not an exaggeration.

— Mike D'Angelo (@gemko) May 20, 2016

THE LAST FACE (Sean Penn): That Xavier Dolan movie doesn't look so bad now, does it? #Cannes2016

— Justin Chang (@JustinCChang) May 20, 2016

The Last Face is Beasts of No Nation rewritten for white people by Nicholas Sparks. No wonder Penn and Theron broke up #Cannes2016

— Benjamin Lee (@benfraserlee) May 20, 2016

THE LAST FACE a shoo-in to win the Face Palme. #Cannes2016

— Sophie Monks Kaufman (@sopharsogood) May 20, 2016

Oh my God, Sean Penn, what have you done. THE LAST FACE is an abomination in basically every way. Has to be the worst thing in #Cannes2016

— Nikola Grozdanović (@nikgroz) May 20, 2016

Here's Where You Can Watch Every Palme d'Or Winner

Steve Greene — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:07:00 GMT

Festival awards ceremonies are a time for celebration. In the case of the Cannes Film Festival, auteurs and performers alike are feted on a uniquely global stage, with honorees adding to the fest's decades-long history. The award has gone through a few name changes, but the list of films that have claimed Cannes' top prize is a formidable one.

While some of these titles have been kept at the forefront of film-related conversations ever since, others have become harder to find. Sadly, not every Palme d'Or winner is available for immediate streaming, but we've done our best to track down the best places to access some of these bygone winners. A handful of these films are available at multiple venues, but hopefully the list below is a helpful first step on the road to Cannes completism.

(Need a few recommendations to help you get started? We picked our 20 favorite Palme winners here.)

Amazon Prime

sex, lies and videotapes (1989)

Netflix

Pulp Fiction (1994)
Winter Sleep (2014)

Hulu

The Wages of Fear (1953)
Gate of Hell (1954)
Black Orpheus (1959)
Viridiana (1961)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Apocalypse Now (1979)

Paris, Texas (1984)
Taste of Cherry (1997)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

YouTube

Miracle in Milan (1951)*
Two Cents Worth of Hope (1952)*
Othello (1952)
The Silent World (1956)
Chronicles of the Years of Fire (1975)
Man of Iron (1981)*
When Father Was Away on Business (1985)*

*no English subtitles

HBOGO

Missing (1982)
The Piano (1993)
The Pianist (2002)

STARZ OnDemand

Taxi Driver (1976)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Now in Theaters

Dheepan (2015)

Digital Rental/Purchase

The Third Man (1949)
Marty (1955)
Friendly Persuasion (1957)
The Leopard (1963)
Blow-Up (1967)
MASH (1970)
The Go-Between (1971)
The Hireling (1973)
Scarecrow (1973)
The Conversation (1974)
Padre Padrone (1977)
The Tin Drum (1979)
The Mission (1986)

Barton Fink (1991)
L'Enfant (The Child) (2005)
The Class (2008)
The White Ribbon (2009)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
The Tree of Life (2011)
Amour (2012)

DVD

Miss Julie (1951)
The Cranes Are Flying (1958)
La dolce vita (1960)
The Given Word (Keeper of Promises) (1962)

The Knack...And How to Get It (1965)
A Man and a Woman (1966)
The Birds, The Bees and The Italians (1966)
If... (1969)
Lulu the Tool (The Working Class Goes to Heaven) (1972)
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
All That Jazz (1980)
Kagemusha (1980)
The Way (1982)

The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Under the Sun of Satan (1987)
Pelle the Conqueror (1988)
Wild at Heart (1990)
The Best Intentions (1992)
Farewell My Concubine (1993)
Underground (1995)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
The Eel (1997)
Eternity and a Day (1998)

Rosetta (1999)
The Son's Room (2001)
Elephant (2003)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Previously Available on MUBI

The Long Absence (1961)
The Mattei Affair (1972)

READ MORE: The 2016 Indiewire Cannes Bible

Cannes 2016: Terry Gilliam on 'Continual Failure' and 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'

Graham Winfrey — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:16:17 GMT

Terry Gilliam has been trying to make "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" for 17 years, and now it's finally happening. While he says “the shit hit the fan” on his first attempt with Johnny Depp in 1999, he’s confident that the latest version of the story and lead actor Adam Driver are a perfect fit.

IndieWire sat down with Gilliam at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday to get the latest on the legendary production. Here are some of the highlights from that conversation.

Is getting this movie made bittersweet because you didn’t get to realize your original vision?

No. I’ve forgotten all that. I’m very good on sublimating my past.

Was it just bad luck that prevented you from completing this film 17 years ago?

I knew about four weeks down the line the shit was going to hit the fan on that film. I was relieved [when it ended] because they couldn’t blame me. Luck is very funny. I’ve been really lucky. I really do think that I’ve gotten away with a lot over the years, but you shouldn’t be able to have a clean slate. You’ve got to get punished sometimes.

Are there any misconceptions about what went wrong, or did “Lost in La Mancha” do a good job of capturing it?

It did a really good job. I love that documentary. You never get to see things like that, and that’s why it’s important.

What do you like most about the character of Don Quixote?

His thick-headedness. He will misinterpret reality and see it as something grander, greater and more wonderful, and then he’s hammered by the truth and he bounces back. It's his relentlessness and how he will not be defeated. That’s what intrigues me about him.

I understand you’re quite fond of your lead actor Adam Driver.

That was a lie. The guy’s a piece of shit [Laughs maniacally].

READ MORE: The 2016 Indiewire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival

What drew you to him?

I’ve never seen "Girls," but I saw "Star Wars" with him and "Inside Llewyn Davis" and some other things, and then I met him and it’s as simple as that. I’m very instinctive about things like that. I just liked this guy and I liked the way he looked. He’s surprising. He doesn’t look like what I had in my mind [for the part] and I like these moments when you bump into someone and you say, shit, this is interesting now. Now it’s getting fun.

I was just talking to Jim Jarmusch at lunch and he was talking about how he cast Adam as a bus driver and at one point Jim said, "Oh, I’ve got to get you some experience on a bus," and Adam said, "No, I’ve already got my license." He’d already gone out and done it. And now he’s dived into "Don Quixote."

How would you compare your directing style to someone like Jim Jarmusch?

I don’t know what my style is. I’m obviously too close to it. It’s funny, I get thrown together with Tim Burton a lot. We’re so different. It’s crazy. We both have a good visual sense and a sense of fantasy but our approach to work and the subject matter and how we deal with things is different. I feel closer to the Coen brothers. They come from Minnesota as well.

Which parts of the filmmaking process do you enjoy the most?

The writing is great. The location scouting is wonderful because you get to go to all these places that you wouldn’t normally get to go to. The shooting is shit. It’s a nightmare. And then the editing is wonderful because now it’s limited. That’s what you’ve got to work with. The shooting is all about knowing that each day you’re not quite getting what it was you’d dreamed about getting.

It’s continual failure. That’s what shooting is to me, even though there are wonderful surprises. Every day there are moments where you’re just like, fucking great! An actor does something that you hadn’t expected, but most of it, my stomach is in a knot the whole time because I know time is running out and we’re not getting the work done that we need to get done today, so I can’t say I really enjoy it. But the dreaming of the thing and then putting the jigsaw puzzle together – those are the good moments.

What do you think about people watching movies on iPhones?

It’s pathetic. The point of a movie is you go into a space and there’s a large screen. You’re small and the screen is big. On an iPhone, you’re the big thing and the film is the little thing. It’s just all wrong and completely backwards. Can you imagine if the first "Star Wars" was being watched on an iPhone? This is one of the things I actually resent — how so much of humanity is so fucking lazy. They just want stuff now. They don’t want to really experience it. They just want to say "saw that" and tick all these boxes.

Does what’s happening with digital distribution and Amazon and Netflix interest you or is that secondary?

No, I talk to those people! Any source of money is worth talking to. If the cinema business is now just DC and Marvel comics, then you start talking to Netflix and Amazon and say, "How do we reach people to tell stories?"

READ MORE: Terry Gilliam on 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote': The Movie's Curse Is Bullsh*t

Are you optimistic about the future of cinema?

Yes, because vinyl has came back. People want to get back to a certain kind of experience and this convenience will pass, like all things convenient pass. Great things lure you back in the end. But I don’t spend much time thinking about the future. I’m more interested in the future of mankind and this planet. That’s the bit that worries me. There’s too many of us all wanting all the goodies. The Chinese are rich now and they want the same shit we want.

I just think humanity isn’t very good at restraining itself. Humanity is pretty good at rebuilding after the apocalypse. I think we’re really designed for that. Give us a good World War, destroy half of Europe, and then we get to rebuild it. Isn’t that exciting?

Do you like coming to Cannes or does it just come with the territory of being a filmmaker?

I sit in front of my fucking computer screen day in and day out at home, so it’s very nice occasionally to get out into a three-dimensional world, especially one where people recognize and like you. And the fact that I’m sitting here not selling anything really makes this good fun.

What do you think your greatest challenge on this film will be?

Maintaining my belief that I’ll be able to finish it. Once it goes, then you’re just holding on, trying to get enough sleep every night. It’s about fooling yourself into thinking you can do it, that’s all. And that’s where most of my energy is — just in trying to fool myself to believe in something, that this is possible.

The part that scares me is that people have been imagining it and I may not live up to their imagination. That’s what worries me. It’s like ruins. I love architectural ruins because you can imagine what it was like and you’re imagination is usually better that what it really was.

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Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ Among 7 Films Supported by Doha Film Festival Screening at Cannes

Sydney Levine — Thu, 19 May 2016 09:28:52 GMT

"The Salesman" written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, and co-financed by the Doha Film Institute, had its world premiere in the official competition of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Six other films supported by the Doha Film Institute Grants program have been screening in key sections at the prestigious global film event.

"The Salesman" is produced by Memento Films Production and Asghar Farhadi Production, in coproduction with Arte France Cinéma and in association with Doha Film Institute, Memento Films Distribution and Arte France. Amazon and Cohen Media Group have recently picked up North American rights.

Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life. "The Salesman" stars Shahab Hosseini ("A Separation") and Taraneh Alidoosti ("About Elly"). Farhadi won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2013 for his last film "The Past."

Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are delighted that seven films supported by the Institute have been officially selected at Cannes this year. The selection of 'The Salesman' in the Festival’s official competition section is an achievement we are all very excited about, as it adds to our pride in partnering with international productions that set new benchmarks in excellence in filmmaking. Asghar Farhadi is one of the most recognized filmmakers working today, someone we have long admired for his talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity.

“I would like to thank the entire team behind the film for sharing their vision with us and making us a part of their incredible journey, and wish them the very best. This has been a passion project for all involved and we look forward to audiences discovering this latest masterpiece”.

Among the six DFI grantee films, two have been selected to the Un Certain Regard section - "Apprentice" (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and "Dogs" (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar) by Bogdan Florian Mirica.

Showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight is "Divines" (Morocco, France, Qatar), directed by Houda Benyamina. The remaining three DFI grantee films will compete for top honours in the Critics Week including: "Mimosas" (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; "Tramontane" (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and "Diamond Island" (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou.

“At the very core of DFI’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. We are committed to celebrating high-calibre talents, both emerging and established, to contribute to a growing roster of quality world cinema. Through our DFI Grantee program, we are underling our commitment to support emerging talent and create a body of work that reflects the cinematic ambitions of the next generation. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim,” added Al Remaihi.

As part of Qatar’s presence in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute is also presenting a special Made in Qatar showcase of short films at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists.

The line-up includes winners of the Best Documentary Film and Best Narrative Film at Ajyal 2015, "The Palm Tree" by Jassim al Remaihi and "Asfoora" by Mayar Hamdan respectively, "Good as New" by Jasser Alagha, "Yellow Nights" by Abdullah Al Mulla, "The Notebook" by Amna Al-Binali, "Light Sounds" by Karem Kamel, "Veganize it" by Khalid Salim, "To My Mother" by Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi and "Inside Out" by Fahad Al-Obaidly.

Since premiering at Ajyal in 2015 the MIQ package screened at Clermont Ferrand and Berlinale, and is also scheduled to screen in Sarajevo and several other festivals on the international circuit later this year.

Kristen Stewart's 'Personal Shopper' Receives Standing Ovation At Cannes Premiere After Getting Booed

Liz Calvario — Wed, 18 May 2016 16:56:56 GMT

What boos? After receiving mixed reviews after Monday's critics screening at the Cannes Film Festival, Kristen Stewart's performance in "Personal Shopper" was applauded with a four-a-half-minute standing ovation on Tuesday night's premiere.

Videos of the event were posted on social media which showed the audience on their feet as Stewart, smiling in her white Chanel dress, hugged director Oliver Assayas and her co-stars.

READ MORE: Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas on 'Personal Shopper,' Getting Booed and Believing in Ghosts

The film follows Stewart as a young woman living in Paris whose brother dies from a heart problem. Before his death, they made an oath that whomever died first would send the other a sign from beyond the grave. The ghost story was first booed but then received positive reviews from critics, including Indiewire.

During a press conference following the first screening, Assayas told journalists: "When you come to Cannes you’re prepared for everything and you just go with the flow." Adding, "It happens to me once in a while, where people just don't get the ending."

READ MORE: Cannes Review: Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas Deserve Better Than Boos for 'Personal Shopper'

Stewart also commented on the booing by pointing out that, "Everybody did not boo. Let's be clear."

The two previously worked together on "Cloud of Sils Maria" which premiered last year at Cannes. Stewart also appeared in the Woody Allen film "Café Society" which debuted on opening night to rave reviews.

Watch the trailer for “Personal Shopper” below:

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'Fiore' Exclusive Clip: Petty Theft Leads To A Juvenile Detention Love Story

Liz Calvario — Mon, 16 May 2016 22:53:56 GMT

This Tuesday Claudio Giovannesi will premiere his latest film "Fiore" at the Cannes Film Festival. Just in time for it's debut, Indiewire has an exclusive clip of the upcoming drama.

The film stars Daphne Bonori as Daphne, a young girl who is imprisoned for robbery and falls in love with another young thief Josh (Josciua Algeri). While males and females can't mix in the juvenile detention center, their love blossoms with secret letters and fleeting conversations through the bars that separate them. This forbidden romance soon gives them hope of something better while confined with no freedom.

READ MORE: 'Point Zero' Exclusive Trailer: A Young Boy Goes On An Adventure and Loses His Innocence

In the first clip we see Daphne and her friend wait patiently for the subway to arrive. Minutes of silence go by as passengers start to disembark. Suspense rises when a group of chatty girls walks by them and they follow suspiciously. Watch the clip above to see what goes down between them.

The film also stars Laura Vasiliu, Valerio Mastandrea, Aniello Arena, Klea Marku, Francesca Riso and Gessica Giulianielli.

READ MORE: 'The Witch' Exclusive Behind-The-Scenes Clip: Watch The Cast Discuss Working With Director Robert Eggers

An interesting anecdote about "Fiore" is that the cast of inmates is made up non-professional actors, most of them former inmates or on probation, with some who the director met in the prison laboratories. The Department of Juvenile Justice gave its permission for them to be involved in the film.

Giovannesi’s last documentary, "Wolf," won the Jury Special Award at the 31st Torino Film Festival and was nominated for the Nastri d’Argento as Best Documentary.

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Cannes 2016: Meet Mikey Schwartz-Wright, Agent At UTA

Eric Kohn — Mon, 16 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Indiewire is profiling some of the young industry talent behind the scenes at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The following profile also appeared in Variety's print edition.

Mikey Schwartz-Wright

HOME: Los Angeles, CA

AGE: 29

TITLE: Agent, United Talent Agency

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

CANNES FOCUS: We’re representing films for sale, introducing new packages to the market, and supporting a large number of clients in the festival. We’re also meeting and signing exciting new talent, connecting with sales agent colleagues, producers and financiers — and having a few dinners at Maschou. There seem to be more players than ever looking to invest in independent films, which is positive. There is a flipside to that coin, though: The number of distributors has not ballooned proportionately. With more movies being made than ever before, the biggest challenge is how to effectively punch through a cluttered market to reach an audience that itself has become more of a moving target.

TIPS OF THE TRADE: Meet as many people as possible. Keep your phone charged.

FILM FAVORITES: A distinct story with a unique point of view, or a fresh take on a familiar theme. "Son of Saul," "The Past," "The Lunchbox," "Mustang," "Wild Tales," "Miss Bala" and "Snowtown" are examples that come to mind.

Cannes 2016: Meet Ben Braun, Director of Sales and Distribution at Submarine

DAILY RITUAL: A morning catch up with my colleagues, sales and coverage strategy meetings, trying to catch screenings in between, followed by more meetings, and mazel tov if you find time to eat. I’m also juggling the work at the festival with what’s going on back home. We’re up until four or five in the morning until L.A. stops. Every agent deals with that when traveling internationally, so it’s not necessarily unique to Cannes. But over an eight-day festival, the exhaustion can creep up on you.

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Cannes 2016: Meet Dan Schoenbrun, Senior Film Outreach Lead At Kickstarter

Eric Kohn — Sun, 15 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

HOME: New York City

AGE: 29

TITLE: Senior Film Outreach Lead, Kickstarter

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

CANNES FOCUS: We want to connect with international filmmakers and industry to hear about all the new projects they're working on...and the ones they wish they could be working on. We want to continue shouting out all the inspiring and impactful things happening in our world to press as well. Kickstarter allows artists to take creative risks and bring ambitious, passion projects to life on their own terms and to forge deeper connections with all kinds of communities who want to see a different kind of art. We're here to help artists find their audiences, and vice versa, and to see what incredible things can be made as a result.

TIPS OF THE TRADE: Don't be too stressed about trying to get into the fanciest party or the hot ticket premieres. You'll meet all kinds of great people in the industry just drinking at the Majestic - or heck, even on the beach!

Cannes 2016: Meet Camille Bertrand, Manager Of Acquisitions At Bleecker Street

DAILY RITUALS: With so many exciting things going on at Cannes, being away from the laptop can be a hurdle sometimes. We have amazing live campaigns we're all actively working on at all times, even while we are traveling and on the ground talking to industry. So we each strive hard to balance it all.

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Cannes 2016 Market Roundup: Marion Cotillard, Idris Elba and More Set New Projects (UPDATED)

Zack Sharf — Sat, 14 May 2016 12:59:00 GMT

READ MORE: 5 Ways the Cannes Market Will Impact Indie Film

The Cannes Market is an oftentimes overwhelming source of breaking news stories, so we're sorting through the clutter this year to present a roundup of the biggest and best breaking news stories. From major casting announcements to filmmakers boarding exciting new projects, you can find a complete rundown of the stories below. Content will be updated as news breaks straight from the Cannes Market.

Wednesday, May 11

- Antonio Banderas will play the lead in Simon West's action-comedy "Salty." The actor will play an aged rock star and sex addict who must save his supermodel wife after she is kidnapped by pirates. According to THR, the film is being billed as "'The Hangover'-meets-'Spinal Tap'" West is best known as the director of "Con Air" and "Tomb Raider."

- Idris Elba and Naomie Harris are teaming up to star in a film adaption of “The Personal History of Rachel Dupree,” which is based on the 2011 novel by Ann Weisgarber. Australian filmmaker Claire McCarthy is attached to direct the film, while Viola Davis will be handling executive producing duties. The novel is a period piece set in the American West about a budding married couple who struggle to make their claim in the Badlands of South Dakota.

- Indie favorite Sebastian Silva is lining up his next project with a cast that includes Will Ferrell, Catherine Kenner and Michael Cera (who also starred in Silva's "Crystal Fairy"). Entitled "Captain Dad," the movie is a family thriller about an idyllic Caribbean sailing vacation gone awry.

- After taking a turn directing with last year's Australian period drama "The Water Diviner," Russell Crowe is getting together his next filmmaking project. Crowe is set to helm "Inside the O'Briens," which will also star the actor opposite Nicole Kidman. The story involves a Massachusetts police officer who gets diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. Crowe is also at Cannes to premiere his new film, "The Nice Guys."

- Marion Cotillard and Johnny Depp are teaming up for the first time for Brett Ratner's "The Libertine," a new drama based on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn scandal. The film will have a comedic spin on the story, which saw Strauss-Kahn being accused of assaulting a hotel maid. The scandal was already the subject of Abel Ferrara's "Welcome to New York."

- Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman are set to star in writer-director Ron Shelton's new action-comedy, "Villa Capri." The "Bill Durham" director is set to return for the first time since 2003 with this story about an ex-FBI agent and an ex-mob lawyer who must put off their golf rivalry in order to fend off the mob.

- Kathryn Bigelow's highly anticipated Detroit riots drama continues to come together, with "Game of Thrones" actress Hannah Murray cast as the lead in the film. Murray is best known as Gilly on the blockbuster HBO television series. Mark Boal is writing the script for the film, which is set to explore the discrimination behind the 1967 Detroit protests.

- Fresh off the Oscar-nominated success of "Mustang," Deniz Gamze Ergüven has signed on to direct "Kings," a drama about the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The cast is still being worked out, although Halle Berry is attached to star as a mother living in the South Central area.

- "Triple 9" may not have been a slam dunk success, but John Hellcat is quickly getting together his followup project. The filmmaker is set to direct "Honor for Sale," which will be based on former police officer Gerald E. Kelly's book "Honor for Sale: The Darkest Chapter in the History of New York’s Finest." The drama will tell the true story of the more than 500 pounds of heroin that was stolen from the NYPD's office by Special Investigations Unit detectives in late '60s.

Thursday, May 12

- Quentin Tarantino favorite Michael Madsen has boarded Jake Spencer's science-fiction romance "South of Hope Street." The film is expected to begin production next year in Norway and the Dolomites and, according to Variety, explore the question: "How far will people go to avoid facing change?"

- Eric Boss' political thriller "Public Affairs" has cast Adrien Adrian Grenier and Mimi Rogers, reports Variety. The film centers around an affair between a campaign aide and the wife of a presidential candidate.

- Michael Pearce has cast up-and-coming stars Johnny Flynn and Jessie Buckley in his directorial debut "Beast." The film is being described as a hybrid between a romance movie and a horror film, as it follows a woman who falls in love with a man who is suspected of committing a series of brutal murders.

- Joey King and Courtney Love have signed on to star in "The Possibility of Fireflies," adaptation of the novel by Dominique Paul. The film is being directed by Deborah Chow and centers around a teenager who dreams of becoming a writer while dealing with her volatile mother.

- Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland are teaming up on the big screen in Italian director Paolo Virzì’s "The Leisure Seeker." Based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian, the film will find the iconic actors playing a terminally ill couple who escape from a retirement home and take one last cross-country trip. The movie will mark Virzì's English-langaueg debut. He is currently at Cannes to premiere his new film "Like Crazy."

- Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny's "Lizzie Borden" has found a director in Craig William Macneill. The filmmaker broke out at the SXSW Film Festival last year with "The Boy," a terrifying psychological horror movie starring David Morse and Rainn Wilson.

Friday, May 13

- A new biopic about the life of iconic singer Dionne Warwick is in development with LaToya Luckett and Lady Gaga attached to star. Luckett will play the singer in the project, which is currently titled "Dionne," while the international pop star will take on the role of English singer Cilla Black. Danny Glover and Olympia Dukakis are also set to star in the film, which will be directed by Mario Van Peebles. (UPDATE: Gaga's rep says she is not starring in the film after all).

- The cast of Joel Hopkins' "Hampstead" is growing, with acclaimed British actors Lesley Manville, James Norton, Jason Watkins and Simon Callow joining previously announced stars Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson. Principal photography begin at the end of the month.

- Dakota Johnson is joining Andrew Garfield in "Under the Silver Lake," the highly anticipated crime drama from "It Follows" breakout David Robert Mitchell. A24 has already acquired domestic rights to the thriller out of Cannes this week. Production is slated to begin in Los Angeles over the summer.

Saturday, May 14

- Jonathan Rhys Meyers is joining Harald Zwart's WWII drama "The 12th Man." The film tells the true story of Norwegian hero Jan Baalsrud, who escaped the Germans following a raid in 1943 along with 11 of his fellow resistance fighters.

- According to a report by Deadline, Helen Mirren is in talks to play Sarah Winchester, the multimillionaire heiress to the Winchester Arms fortune in "Winchester," directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig.

- Natalie Dormer is joining Jai Courtney, Brenton Thwaites and Michael Douglas in Todd Komarnicki’s "God Four." The film centers around a 10-year school reunion and follows a documentary filmmaker as he discovers one of his former crew members has committed suicide. Deadline first reported the deal.

- Daniel Bruhl is jumping into television with The Weinstein Company. The actor has joined "Mafiya," a 10-part drama series set during the fall of the Soviet Union. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news.

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Cannes 2016: Meet Ania Trzebiatowska, Manager of Acquisitions At Visit Films

Eric Kohn — Sat, 14 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

HOME: New York City

AGE: 33

TITLE: Manager of Acquisitions, Visit Films

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

CANNES FOCUS: We have a fantastic slate of new films that played Sundance, Berlinale, SXSW and Tribeca, so our sales team will be busy selling those. And my calendar is filled with acquisitions meetings with producers, writers, Cinefondation filmmakers and follow-ups with projects we’re tracking. Sophia Takal's new movie "Always Shine," which just premiered at Tribeca, got great reviews. This will be perfect timing for selling the film and talking to festival programmers. Also, we're launching "Maze," an Irish-Swedish co-production written and directed by Stephen Burke, which only just wrapped. It’s inspired by the true events of the infamous 1983 prison breakout of IRA prisoners from high security prison and starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Barry Ward.

TIPS OF THE TRADE: There are plenty of options for filmmakers to choose from, but it can be hard to decide which festivals are the most suitable and how to prepare for them. Don’t try to do everything at once. Be focused and ask questions, so you don’t waste your time at the festival. Be patient and don’t take anything personally. People will be late to meetings, they will cancel at the last minute and sometimes they’ll forget. I learned to confirm and re-confirm my meetings, just in case.

Cannes 2016: Meet Jason Ishikawa, The New Head of Cinetic's International Sales Division

DAILY RITUALS: During Cannes, it’s finding the balance between taking meetings, covering all of the potentially interesting festival screenings, keeping up with day-to-day work and socializing. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, it’s impossible to track every single exciting project out there — but one can always try.

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DreamWorks Animation's 'Trolls' May Be Jeffrey Katzenberg's Last Cannes

Anne Thompson — Fri, 13 May 2016 23:22:21 GMT

If this really is Jeffrey Katzenberg's last hurrah at the Cannes Film Festival, he will be remembered as the man who turned the cathedral of cinema into a global market launch for feature animation. With the $3.8 billion sale of DreamWorks Animation to Comcast — Katzenberg had been trying to take the company private, not sell it and leave — the animation czar has six more months to see the last two films through their release. And then he will go on, Barry Diller-style, to his next chapter.

DreamWorks Animation comes to Cannes this year with 25 minutes of footage from "Trolls" (November 4). The screening took place at the Debussy—unusual for a promo event outside the festival, and a sign of respect from festival director Thierry Fremaux. Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, stars of DreamWorks Animation's first full-fledged musical comedy, performed Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” with Timberlake on acoustic guitar, and then boated up the coast to the Carlton for a civilized press tea by the Mediterranean.

Initially hired only as a voice actor, Timberlake produced all music for the movie, which boasts 15 songs (four written by him) from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Icona Pop, Zooey Deschanel, John Cleese, Quvenzhané Wallis, and James Corden; he even mixed the Cannes performance before DreamWorks sent it to the press. Katzenberg is tasked with trying to get a fifth song out of him on this European promo tour.

When DreamWorks Animation's Bill Damaschke acquired the rights to the colorful tall-haired Troll dolls that were so popular back in the '60s, DreamWorks' heads Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria and filmmakers Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn ("Shrek Forever After") returned to the Scandinavian mythology of trolls for this romantic comedy adventure about the clash between the sweetly optimistic Trolls, who break into constant song, and the dourly pessimistic Bergens, who are happy when they eat trolls for lunch.

Katzenberg first came to Cannes in 1976 (he described himself as a "little punk executive at Paramount doing negative pickups") and returned in 1978 with Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven," walking up the red carpet with the young Richard Gere. Later, he screened "Beauty and the Beast" out of competition (which was nominated for Best Picture), and convinced Gilles Jacob and Fremaux—who was a strong advocate—to put "Shrek" in competition back in 2001. Not coincidentally, Katzenberg thinks, the Academy went on to create the animation category that year in August 2001, and "Shrek" took home the Animation Oscar in 2002.

DreamWorks marketed "Shark Tale" at Cannes by floating stars Angelina Jolie and Will Smith in the Mediterranean on a plastic shark, sent "How to Train Your Dragon" characters up the red carpet, and launched Jerry Seinfeld into the air for "Bee Movie." It's a Cannes tradition—one that will likely be carried on after Katzenberg makes his exit.

(Did we ask him about the Comcast deal and his transition? You bet. Off limits.)

Anne Thompson: You recognized early what has become obvious: animation is a driver of an enormous amount of box office every year.

Jeffrey Katzenberg: I go back to the Golden Age at Disney. What we saw at the time is that these movies were general audience movies. They were no longer children’s pictures. That’s what happened in that progression from "Beauty" to "Aladdin" to "Lion King," which was the biggest animated movie of all time for everybody. These were no longer kid’s pictures.

When I started DreamWorks [Animation] the goal, the ambition, was to go from what had been a G-rated approach to these films to PG, where we actually tried to put more dimensions in the film and more adult, broader appeal. When I went back to watch "Prince of Egypt" for the 10th-year anniversary—I never watch these movies when they’re done, I see them each so many times while making them—I said, "What were we thinking?"

Too much ambition?

It's a dark movie, so dramatic! There’s a barely even a little humor. It’s beautiful and ambitious. But dark, jeez.

What's the theme of "Trolls"?

Happiness resides in everyone. Sometimes you can find it yourself and sometime you need someone else to help you find it. But it's there in all of us.

Will there ever be too many animated movies?

Animation has never been more successful than it is today. It's the most successful genre along with the superhero movies. The answer is there is no such thing as too many and too much. It's a democracy. People vote you in and out. The strongest brands will prevail.

Indeed. Like DreamWorks.

The 20 Best Palme d'Or Winners at the Cannes Film Festival

Chris O'Falt, Steve Greene, Kate Erbland, Zack Sharf and David Ehrlich — Fri, 13 May 2016 17:04:13 GMT

Though the festival's top honor has gone through a few name changes (technically, a couple of the filmmakers mentioned below never had a Palme d'Or trophy for their mantle), the annual prize is its own form of cinematic time capsule. As with other yearly film awards, those winners aren't always bona fide masterpieces. But there are a significant number of them that have helped shape both the overall artistic direction of the festival and the film industries from which they hail.

Below, we've gathered twenty such films, each iconic in their own way and all part of Cannes' rich tradition.

Brief Encounter

Year: 1946
It's only fitting that "Carol," one of last year's runaway Cannes successes, had a beautiful (and unabashed) tribute to a film that was among the first group to be recognized at the fest in 1946, back when the highest honor was dubbed the "Grand Prix du Festival International du Film." One of cinema's great love stories, "Brief Encounter" persists as a classic romance seven decades later precisely for what its characters are never allowed to have. Based on a Noël Coward one-act, the film features a series of chaste meetings between intellectual lovers who find their relationship deepening in spite of their marriages to other people. Robert Krasker's lush cinematography accentuates the shadows during their secret rendezvous and highlights Laura and Alec bathed in sunshine as they dare to enjoy one romantic day in public. As the bittersweet tragedy draws to its conclusion, it stands as a remnant of a time gone by, before technology could allow these kinds of chance meetings to be replicated. - Steve Greene

The Wages of Fear

Year: 1953
After a oil well catches fire, four poor truck drivers accept $2,000 to deliver highly explosive nitroglycerine over 300 miles of mountain dirt roads so it can be used to put out the flames. That’s not just the premise, that’s the movie. Every bump in the road, every unexpected obstacle pushes the viewer to the edge of their seat, waiting for one of the trucks to explode at any moment. “Wages” is a cinematic exercise in sustained suspense, with director Henri-Georges Clouzot proving he could extend it longer than anyone thought possible. The grueling and bleak film propelled the career of Clouzot, who went on to direct “Les Diaboliques.” - Chris O'Falt

La dolce vita

Year: 1960
Rome has never been so intoxicating, magical and lonely as it is Fellini’s ironically titled “The Sweet Life.” Fellini’s first collaboration with his leading man and alter ego Marcello Mastroianni was their biggest hit and the project that made them both international stars. Mastroianni plays a celebrity journalist who spends seven evenings weaving in and out of the Rome’s high society. Fellini captures the seductiveness of glamour, while simultaneously commenting on its utter emptiness in a film that is oddly prescient of the celebrity-gossip-driven world we currently occupy. - CO

The Leopard

Year: 1963
Martin Scorsese, who restored this 1963 classic to its former glory and brought it back to Cannes in 2010, has often referred to “The Leopard” as one of the five best films ever made. It’s hard to disagree. One of director Luchino Visconti’s handful of masterpieces, the film features subtle, visual storytelling in a world of decaying opulence that has often been copied, but never matched. The film stars Burt Lancaster (who is dubbed into Italian, depending on which version you watch) as an aging Sicilian prince holding on to the traditions of the aristocracy as a new generation, led by his nephew (Alain Delon), promises to change everything. Visconti’s use of camera movement and real locations captures a sense of time passing and nostalgia that is breathtakingly beautiful. If you ever have a chance to see a 35mm print, the glorious ballroom scene alone is worth the price of admission. - CO

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Year: 1964
There's nothing quite like being dazzled by Jacques Demy's 1964 musical for the very first time. Entirely sung through (no spoken dialogue here) and featuring an international breakthrough performance from Catherine Deneuve, the film is built around a remarkable juxtaposition that left Cannes speechless. On its surface, "Cherbourg" is an eye-poppingly colorful musical that echoes golden age Hollywood technicolor dreams (Jacqueline Moreau's costumes are extraordinary), but its story leans more towards the powerful emotions of European drama than the razzle-dazzle of its visuals might suggest. The film centers around two people who fall madly in love with each other, only for the world to force them apart through events both life-changing and mundane. This tension between bright aesthetics and painful subject matter make for a one-of-a-kind experience. Musicals don't get much better than this. - Zack Sharf

Blow-Up

Year: 1967
On some level, most Palme d'Or winners require (or at least benefit from) some patience. Michaelangelo Antonioni makes that idea literal for one of his characters, a photographer whose fateful discovery effectively cleaves the film in two. What begins as a character study of the aimless Thomas, often careless and occasionally aggressive, becomes a suspenseful tribute to the power of a single image. The two halves of the film still have their respective mood changes, with a continuous swing between frivolity and danger that keeps the whole story on edge. As with the film below, the drive to dig deeper that's inherent in the protagonist's profession carries the risk of obsession, especially when that desire morphs into a particular strain of voyeurism. There's something ominous and prophetic (with respect to the film's narrative and our modern privacy issues) about the way one of Thomas' unwitting subjects reacts to being seen out in the open: "This is a public place. Everyone has the right to be left in peace." - SG

The Conversation

Year: 1974
Even though it came deep in the ascension of its director's lauded early-career crest, it's still difficult to imagine a film like "The Conversation" getting lost in Francis Ford Coppola's overall body of work. With Gene Hackman in a similar prime as Harry Caul, the professional audio surveillance tech who uncovers something sinister surrounding his charges, there's a distinct pleasure in the way the film tells its tale of intrigue in a workmanlike manner while allowing for some inspired flourishes around its edges. As Caul pursues the elusive truth behind the secret recordings, his day-to-day investigative rhythms become those of the film overall. In Coppola's sure hands (here acting as both director and screenwriter), along with a world-class piano score from composer David Shire and Bill Butler's haunting camerawork, "The Conversation" oozes tension from nearly every frame. Rarely do films earn an enigmatic ending as flawlessly as this one does. - SG

Taxi Driver

Year: 1976
Booing audiences are nothing new at Cannes – frankly, no other festival does it with as much gusto and verve as Cannes does – but the boos that followed both the 1976 debut of Martin Scorsese's singular classic and the jury's announcement of its Palme d'Or win beg to be contextualized. Scorsese's vital, bruising film played at Cannes during a fraught time, just a year after a bomb went off in the festival's main viewing hall during the early hours of opening day (a year later, another bomb was found that did not go off), to audiences who were likely not ready to see such violence back on the big screen. The film had already opened in the U.S. and was a bonafide hit before it arrived on the Croisette, but its Cannes win (no matter the boos) pushed it over the top and made it into a true awards contender. Provocation has never unnerved Scorsese, but "Taxi Driver" undid more than a few moviegoers during a wild time that needed a film to speak to a cultural climate more unsettling than anything that could show up on the screen. It's one of the most deeply of-the-moment Palme d'Or wins in Cannes history, and it's also one that absolutely holds up even four decades removed. - Kate Erbland

Apocalypse Now

Year: 1979
Movie legend holds that Francis Ford Coppola didn't even want to screen his notoriously plagued "war is hell" classic at Cannes. An earlier test screening didn't go well and studio United Artists made it clear that they were not interested in going through the disappointing experience in a much larger forum and with copious members of the press in attendance. Yet Coppola relented, eventually playing a still-unfinished feature at the festival in 1979. It ended up being the right choice. While the grand legacy of "Apocalypse Now" is mostly rooted in tall tales about the numerous incidents of on-set trauma and drama (from heart attacks to breakdowns, fat Brando to severe weather, and just about anything in between), the film's place in Palme d'Or history should not be overlooked: It was the first time an American director had won the Palme twice (Coppola had previously won in 1974 with "The Conversation"), a feat that has not been matched since. - KE

All That Jazz

Year: 1980
Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical musical captures the time when the legendary choreographer was simultaneously editing “Lenny” (the Dustin Hoffman-starring bio-pic about Lenny Bruce) while staging the original Broadway production of “Chicago.” Fosse pulls no punches as he portrays his alter ego Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) as a pill-popping, womanizing, egomaniac driving himself to an early grave. The film even features Jessica Lange as the Angel of Death and a musical number set against the backdrop of the protagonist’s open heart surgery. But what really makes this film such a boundary-pushing musical masterpiece is Fosse’s incredibly inventive editing pattern; cutting through time and space in experimental ways that helps create an edgy Fellini-like dreaminess, but at the same time strengthening the film’s narrative. - CO

Paris, Texas

Year: 1984
Three years after winning the Palme d'Or, Wim Wenders would make "Wings of Desire," a film about a wayfaring figure, on a search for meaning in pursuit of a loved one. Although "Paris, Texas" doesn't feature any angels, the way that Harry Dean Stanton's Travis flits around the periphery in the lives of his family members, he might as well be hovering. Through a family drama that questions the very nature of family, Wenders is able to show the evolution of a distinct kind of fatherly interaction, organically evolving as Travis reconnects with a young son he's returned to after years away. With one of the most subdued high-stakes car chases in film history and a series of green-drenched tableaus that could launch an entire color theory thesis paper, "Paris, Texas" lets its various reunions play out with emotional honesty and tension that never feels overplayed. It's the special kind of film that show tears of joy and regret in equal measure without letting you know which are which. - SG

sex, lies and videotape

Year: 1989
The film launched the career of 26-year-old Steven Soderbergh, but more importantly helped put Sundance and Miramax on the map, while setting the table for the ‘90s American indie film boom. For the Sundance film to receive the Palme d’Or from the Wim Wenders-led jury was a seal of approval that gave the American indie film movement credibility in the eyes of the international film community. Soderbergh’s quiet film, in which a drifter with a VHS camera (James Spader) gets a repressed housewife (Andie MacDowell) to open up about her sleazy husband’s (Peter Gallagher) inability to make her orgasm, touched a nerve here in the States. By directly challenging yuppie culture and the deathly bland storytelling of Hollywood in the 1980s, the film became a $25 million box office success story that revealed there was an arthouse audience hungry to embrace something new. - CO

Wild at Heart

Year: 1990
Vastly dividing audiences at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, David Lynch's "romance in hell" (as the director so winningly put it) stars Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as Sailor and Lula, young lovers from North Carolina on the run from gangsters hired to kill them by Sailor's mother. Their road trip plays like a predecessor to "Natural Born Killers," with an orgy of sex and violence producing no shortage of eye-opening moments and killer dialogue. Set to a blasting rock soundtrack, "Wild at Heart" is Lynch at his gnarliest extreme, telling his own version of the "Badlands" narrative, dipped in the contemporary bloodbath of '80s culture. It may not have been the Lynch film many would have given the Palme ("Mulholland Drive" lost in 2001), but it's a roller coaster of auteur ambition that can't be denied. - ZS

Barton Fink

Year: 1991
The Coen Brothers' single Palme win (well, so far) was part of a grand sweep that also saw their John Turturro-starring slice of Hollywood drama garnering Cannes awards for Best Actor and Best Director (it later went on to three Oscar nods and a seriously disappointing box office take). Initially cooked up as a bit of a stress reliever from the strain of writing "Miller's Crossing," the script for the feature was written in about three weeks. It allowed the brothers to play around with both colorful characters (from Fink to Charlie Meadows and Lou Breeze) and one of their most memorable settings ever, the iconic Hotel Earle. Both a close character study of Turturro's Fink, a playwright trying to make his way in an unforgiving Hollywood, and a deeper examination of the price of creativity in a world that doesn't always welcome it, "Barton Fink" contains innumerable classic Coen-isms, a treasure trove for fans of all stripes. Turns out that the Coens can tell a story. And make us laugh. And make us cry. And maybe even make us break out in joyous song. Now that's a winner. - KE

Pulp Fiction

Year: 1994
If there's anyone who knows how to bow a movie with a little bit (okay, a lot) of showmanship and a pretty generous dash of flair, it's Quentin Tarantino. Oh, and also Harvey Weinstein. Put the two together, and it's movie magic. That's pretty much what happened in 1994 when The Weinstein Company debuted Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" to a packed midnight crowd with the entire (super-stacked) cast in attendance. Winning the Palme d'Or was only the icing on the cake for one of the most riotous Cannes debuts in recent memory. Only Tarantino's second feature, "Pulp Fiction" shaggily hews together an impressive cast, a chopped up timeline and a screenplay full to bursting with cultural nods, zippy witticisms and rapid-fire fun. In short, pure Tarantino. While "Pulp Fiction" pulling out the Palme worked to further legitimatize Tarantino's work, it also did something far more rare: it awarded a filmmaker for signature work at a vital time in their career. Cannes isn't always so on-point with their picks, but "Pulp Fiction" helped break that mold. - KE

Taste of Cherry

Year: 1997
While not Abbas Kiarostami's '90s masterpiece (that would be 1990's "Close-Up," which never got a slot on the Cannes program), "Taste of Cherry" is still an impressive showcase for the director's storytelling strengths. In true Kiarostami fashion, most of the film's conversations take place across the front seats of a Range Rover. Badii, the car's driver, is looking for someone to bury him after his planned suicide that coming evening. As he picks up various passengers with various levels of reluctance to aid him in his efforts, we get a window-seat view of the Tehran landscape, a prime example of Kiarostami's ability to tackle the specific and the expansive all at once. As Badii, Homayoun Ershadi's calm demeanor anchors each conversation, even as his pleas to his passengers grow more plaintive. In the film's closing sequence, Kiorastami recontextualizes the story that preceded it; even if we never learn the true motivation behind Badii's actions, there are still other ways for a filmmaker to bring an audience into a story. - SG

Dancer in the Dark

Year: 2000
One of the most polarizing Palme d'Or winners, Lars von Trier's startlingly bleak musical fantasy is either an all-time masterpiece or a sadistic exercise in audience manipulation. Björk (yes, *that* Björk), stars as Selma, a Washington State factory worker whose only respite from her bleak existence – as well as her rapidly failing eyesight – is the idyllic dreamworld of musical theater. Escaping into song whenever things get particularly grim, Selma turns the rumble of a passing train into a full orchestra and the clatter of workplace machinery into her own percussion section. When this poor woman (pitiable even by the standards of a von Trier heroine) is framed for murder, she disassociates from her world completely. Anchored by Björk's astonishingly raw lead performance and suspended on the haunting tunes she wrote for the film, "Dancer in the Dark" is von Trier at his most extreme, and also at his best. - David Ehrlich

Elephant

Year: 2003
Gus Van Sant may have been the most lambasted director at Cannes last year with his massive misfire "The Sea of Trees," but he ruled over the 2003 festival with his stunning Palme winner "Elephant." A meditation on the Columbine High School massacre, "Elephant" is the story of two bullied high school students who go on a killing spree, and it was met with no shortage of controversy upon its release. Many feared it could result in copycats or that it glorified the violent acts of mass murderers, but Van Sant's crippling long takes and tonal void result in the opposite approach, as does Alex Frost's central performance. As one of the killers, the actor has to mine a delicate balance of stone-cold fear and vulnerability, and he does so without ever turning his killer into someone we identify with. We recognize the character's lost innocence, but we never sympathize with his bullied past. Frost's performance keeps our involvement with the film at an objective distance, and it single-handedly turns "Elephant" into a nuanced statement against violence. - ZS

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Year: 2007
Cristian Mungiu's gut-wrenching "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is set against the brutal 1980's Romanian Communist regime, during which contraception was illegal and abortion was punishable by death. When university student Gabita finds out that she is pregnant, she enlists the help of her roommate to seek an abortion on the black market. The film follows the young women as they enter a merciless labyrinth of duplicity and horror rendered with unflinching detail. The majority of the film takes place in the abysmal motel room in which Gabita's abortion is performed. The procedure itself is horrific, but what's worse is the debasement the women subject themselves to because of their desperate circumstance. Mungiu's social-realist drama is as close to a secondhand hellish experience as one can get. It's a riveting masterwork of excruciating long-takes, stark imagery and brilliant, disturbing performances that deserved every inch of the Palme d’Or it won at Cannes in 2007. - ZS

The Tree of Life

Year: 2011
There might not be a more confounding or polarizing Palme d'Or winner than Terrence Malick's magnum opus "The Tree Of Life," but whatever your thoughts on this startling meditation of life may be, there's simply no denying its boundless ambition. The majority of the film concerns the coming of age of a young boy in 1950s Texas, and his experiences with his forceful father (a stern Brad Pitt) and his graceful mother (an ethereal Jessica Chastain). But the film is more about feeling and sensation -- about the way in which the world pulls us between the axis of nature and nurture -- than it is about plot or story. The characters are almost spiritual beings, grounded by the remarkable performances that the actors bring to life not by dialogue, but my movement, posture and expressions. Malick has been pushing his style into more experimental forms for quite some time now, but "The Tree of Life" will always be the most emotional and fascinating of the lot. - ZS

READ MORE: The 2016 Indiewire Cannes Bible

Cannes 2016: Meet Ben Braun, Director of Sales and Distribution at Submarine

Eric Kohn — Fri, 13 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

AGE: 23

HOME: New York City

TITLE: Director of Sales and Distribution, Submarine

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

CANNES FOCUS: We are representing the Laura Poitras film "Risk" in Directors' Fortnight and Shirley Abraham’s "Cinema Travelers" doc premiering in Cannes Classics. We're also showcasing several new projects we have in development or in production in the market. Cannes is a great place to give buyers a sneak peak at our upcoming slate — especially this year, when there are so few films for sale in the festival.

TIPS OF THE TRADE: When your film is premiering at any festival, don't overlook how critically important your screening schedule is. Ideally, you'll have a sales agent on board to help navigate this, but you have to be able to identify which screening slot buyers will be able to attend. If you're premiering against the hottest film, understand that buyers are always going to prioritize that film above anything else and your second or third screening may be the best one for selling the film.

READ MORE: Cannes 2016: Meet Jason Ishikawa, The New Head of Cinetic's International Sales Division

BIGGEST HURDLE: From Sundance through Cannes, the biggest challenge is navigating the overlap festival to festival. At the same time we're selling projects in Berlin, we're signing new ones that will premiere in SXSW. Everyone industry-wide is bogged down with the sheer volume of films we all need to cover — which makes it slower for us to hear the response, positive or negative, that we need to hear.

Check out the trailer for Poitras' previous feature, "Citizenfour," below:

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French Comic Laurent Lafitte Says His Woody Allen Rape Joke at Cannes Was Misinterpreted

Liz Calvario — Thu, 12 May 2016 20:46:38 GMT

French actor Laurent Lafitte had no idea that his Woody Allen rape joke he made at the Cannes opening ceremony would spark this much controversy. During the premiere of Woody latest film, "Café Society," Lafitte made headlines when he joked, "You've been shooting so many of your films here in Europe and yet in the U.S. you haven't even been convicted for rape."

The remark was received with gasps and even the film's star Blake Lively stated that she was offended with what she heard. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the master of ceremonies where he insisted that the joke was misinterpreted, meant as a comment on "American puritanism” and didn’t know that hours before, Woody's estranged son, Ronan Farrow, has published an essay about his father's sexual abuse allegations.

"Not in the room, but after the show, I was told that there were strong reactions. What I've learned only just this morning is that Woody Allen's son made a statement yesterday with accusations [involving rape]. I didn't know that," Lafitte confessed. "When I wrote this joke, it was more a joke about Europe and why one of the greatest American directors spent years in Europe, [while Allen] didn't have to because he wasn't accused of rape in his own country, compared to Roman Polanski. It was [meant] as a joke about American puritanism and the fact that it is surprising that an American director wants to do so many movies in Europe. I didn't know about the other stuff."

READ MORE: Blake Lively Offended By Woody Allen Rape Joke At Cannes, Criticizes Festival For Raunchy Humor

The actor revealed that he had written the joke three weeks ago and thinks it's unfortunate how after working so hard on his show, the Allen controversy is what sticks out. "At the afterparty, [festival director] Thierry Fremaux told me that he went over to ask Woody if he was embarrassed by the joke, but he said he was not. He said, "I thought that guy was funny,’” he explained. "It's a storm in a tea cup, and it's a shame, because I tried as much as I could to write something funny every 20 seconds. In a show lasting 45 minutes, this is the only thing that will remain. It's sad."

READ MORE: Woody Allen Reacts To Cannes Rape Joke & Likens Ronan Farrow's Abuse Essay To A Bad Review

When asked if he would’ve deleted the joke if he had known about Farrow's essay he replied: "Yes, I would have."

"I didn't want to hurt anybody. If I had known [the Woody Allen joke] could be misinterpreted, I wouldn't have said it," Lafitte insisted.

You can read the entire interview at THR.

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Blake Lively Offended By Woody Allen Rape Joke At Cannes, Criticizes Festival For Raunchy Humor

Liz Calvario — Thu, 12 May 2016 17:02:46 GMT

The Cannes Film Festival began with some controversy when master of ceremonies comedian Laurent Laffite made a rape joke regarding Woody Allen at the "Café Society" premiere, saying, "It's very nice that you've been shooting so many movies in Europe, even if you are not being convicted for rape in the U.S.”

The director didn't pay much attention to the jab, later letting reporters know that he is "a non-judgmental or [non]-censorship person" and that it would "take a lot to offend me.” Blake Lively, on the other hand, who stars in Allen's latest film, was offended and spoke out about what she believed to be inappropriate comments that were made at last night's opening ceremony.

"I think any jokes about rape, homophobia or Hitler is not a joke," Lively told reporters about the French comedian's remarks. "I think that was a hard thing swallow in 30 seconds. Film festivals are such a beautiful, respectful festivals of film and artists and to have that, it felt like it wouldn't have happened if it was in the 1940s. I can’t imagine Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby going out and doing that. It was more disappointing for the artists in the room that someone was going up there making jokes about something that wasn’t funny."

Adding, "But it wasn't just Woody. He made three homophobic comments in a row. A Hitler joke. And a rape joke. It was all within 30 seconds… What on Earth was happening? It was really confusing."

READ MORE: Woody Allen Reacts To Cannes Rape Joke & Likens Ronan Farrow's Abuse Essay To A Bad Review

Hours before the premiere, Woody's estranged son Ronan Farrow published an essay on The Hollywood Reporter about how the media failed to challenge his father over his sister Dylan Farrow’s sexual abuse allegations. When asked about the piece, the actress said she had not read it.

"I came home and went to bed at whatever time we finished. I haven't been in it, so I don't want to speak on something I haven't read,” Lively told Vulture’s Kyle Buchannan. "I think that's dangerous. It’s definitely something that being at the festival, the media these days, you come to a film festival about film and people talk about all different types of things. You know? That can be definitely tricky to navigate, I'm sure. I don't want to speak about something I haven't read."

READ MORE: Cannes: French Comedian Makes Woody Allen Rape Joke During Opening Ceremony

Blake's costar Kristen Stewart, who also gasped when the joke was made during the ceremony, recently commented on the Woody allegations, telling Variety she had previously spoken with Jesse Eisenberg about the situation, "At the end of the day, Jesse and I talked about this. If we were persecuted for the amount of s--t that's been said about us that's not true, our lives would be over. The experience of making the movie was so outside of that, it was fruitful for the two of us to go on with it."

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Watch the "Café Society" trailer below:

Jodie Foster Thinks Male Directors Have A Problem, And 5 Other Takeaways From Her Cannes Talk

Kate Erbland — Thu, 12 May 2016 14:49:54 GMT

As she continues to transition more fully into the director's chair, actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster is getting increasingly more vocal about the position of female directors in the industry she's worked in for decades. Just last month, she told a Tribeca crowd at a Director Series talk between her and Julie Taymor that she "didn’t think that I would ever be allowed to [direct]. I thought I had to come to it from a different direction and then I started writing as a way to get to directing." Foster now has four features under her director's belt, along with a variety of television stints on shows like "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards."

Despite her early start as an actress, Foster has made it clear that she wants to be known as a director, not an actress. But even for Foster, her background as an actress might not be what keeps her from further success in her filmmaking career, it might be the industry itself.

Foster is at the Cannes Film Festival this year debuting her star-studded and very timely "Money Monster," and after the film's premiere, she sat down with Variety and Kering for one of their "Women in Motion" talks, during which she got very honest about how she feels female directors and female-facing projects are perceived in Hollywood. We've put together some of the most important takeaways from Foster's talk below, check them out.

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

Female-Centric Projects Are Moving Elsewhere

As Variety reports, Foster noted that the current climate in Hollywood means that the kind of fare that used to provide plenty of parts for women, like rom-coms and the increasingly rare mid-sized budgeted drama, are moving to television to make room for big screen projects that are more and more dedicated to superhero features and other action-centric offerings. And that's dangerous for everyone.

"They’ll make enormous movies tentpole films and they’ll be all in, kind of like a casino bet," Foster said. "That’s a really dangerous bet."

Studio Execs Stick With What's Familiar

A product of that kind of bet? Studio executives eager to stick with what (and who) they know when it comes time to pick directors. "You’re going to go with the guy that looks like you," Foster said. For many projects and execs, that means a man.

Diversity Is Healthy

Foster knows a thing or two about life on a movie set, and she seems pleased at the (slowly, but still happening) uptick in diversity and equality she's seen on sets over the years.

"I saw the faces change as time went on," Variety reports Foster said. "Everything changed when women came onto sets…it felt more like a family…movie sets became healthier."

For Foster, that change was essential to her own career growth. She shared, "I was raised by a single mom and even though the world told me that there weren’t a lot of women directors, I decided that I was going to be one."

Quotas Are Not the Answer

When asked about the possibility of quotas being put into effect in the industry, Foster didn't seem very excited about the idea. "I’m worried about quotas in terms of art. We’re not talking about junior executives. We’re talking about an art form...I’m worried that it will set back the ideas that we’re hoping for of inclusivity."

READ MORE: Jodie Foster: Her 'Taxi Driver' Breakthrough, A Speech of Acceptance & More Of Her Boldest Moments

People Want to Change

Foster doesn't believe that the lack of diversity and equality in Hollywood is some giant, nefarious plot from a bunch of bad guys, but the result of years and years of ingrained attitudes.

"I don’t think it’s some big plot that men have tried to put women down in the film business," Foster said. "People want to be open and want to change…They’re stuck with traditional models."

Male Directors Need To Be Better

One major benefit to increasing female presence behind the camera? More multi-dimensional female characters. Foster reflected on some of the more prevalent trends in films directed by men who attempted to give their female characters some huge emotional arc or big motivation, and who often returned to the same issues.

"I wonder why she was a box of tears…she was raped. I wonder why she’s having trouble with her boss…it was rape. The motivation was always rape. They were uninterested in complexity, they were unable to make the transition [to understand female characters]," Foster said.

She continued, "I think it’s the male directors that have the problem. Women are used to putting themselves in other people’s bodies."

Check out more from Foster's talk over at Variety.

Check out the trailer for Foster's "Money Monster" below:

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Get Ready To Rock With An Exclusive Poster From Jim Jarmusch's Cannes Doc 'Gimme Danger'

Kate Erbland — Thu, 12 May 2016 14:02:11 GMT

The Cannes Film Festival is going to be rocking next week, thanks to a special midnight premiere of Jim Jarmusch's Stooges-centric documentary, "Gimme Danger." It's Jarmusch's second offering at this year's festival, along with his Adam Driver-starring "Paterson," and it certainly sounds like the more rollicking of the two options. Indiewire is pleased to debut the film's first poster here.

The film aims to "presents the context of the Stooges' emergence musically, culturally, politically, historically, and relates their adventures and misadventures while charting their inspirations and the reasons behind their initial commercial challenges, as well as their long-lasting legacy."

READ MORE: Indiewire's Complete 2016 Cannes Film Festival Preview

Of the project, Jarmusch has commented: "No other band in rock’n’roll history has rivaled The Stooges’ combination of heavy primal throb, spiked psychedelia, blues-a-billy grind, complete with succinct angst-ridden lyrics, and a snarling, preening leopard of a front man who somehow embodies Nijinsky, Bruce Lee, Harpo Marx, and Arthur Rimbaud. There is no precedent for The Stooges, while those inspired by them are now legion."

READ MORE: Kristen Stewart Will Hit It Big, Jim Jarmusch Will Triumph & Five More 2016 Cannes Film Festival Predictions

He added that the film "is more an 'essay' than a document. It's our love letter to possibly the greatest band in rock'n'roll history, and presents their story, their influences and their impact, complete with some never-before-seen footage and photographs. Like the Stooges and their music, 'Gimme Danger' is a little wild, messy, emotional, funny, primitive, and sophisticated in the most unrefined way. Long live The Stooges!"

"Gimme Danger" will have its world premiere at Cannes during a special midnight screening next Thursday. Check out our exclusive poster below.

Check out a clip from another recent Jarmusch offering, the vampire love story "Only Lovers Left Alive," embedded below.

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