The influence of the Cannes Film Festival shouldn’t be underestimated. In 2019, a Palme d’Or win propelled Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite to a Best Picture Oscar, while last year – after 2020’s edition was cancelled due to the pandemic – the impressive line-up included critical darling The Worst Person In The World and the recipient of the Best International Film Oscar, Drive My Car. So, what’s set to dazzle the Croisette this time around? Ahead of opening night on 17 May, we shortlist the 11 buzziest releases to look out for.
Elvis
Baz Luhrmann’s surreal, sequin-strewn biopic of the titular king of rock ’n’ roll will feature star-making performances from Austin Butler and Olivia DeJonge (as the luminous Priscilla Presley), not to mention hysteria-inducing musical sequences and Tom Hanks as the former’s enterprising manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
The Stars at Noon
In 1980s Nicaragua, an American journalist and a British businessman fall in love and attempt to flee the revolution in Claire Denis’s sweeping adaptation of Denis Johnson’s gripping novel. Taking centre stage? Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn and John C Reilly.
Showing Up
The latest addition to Kelly Reichardt’s poignant, richly poetic oeuvre is this account of an increasingly frustrated sculptor (Michelle Williams) on the cusp of a career-changing exhibition. As she waits for inspiration to strike, her personal life grows more absurd.