The Cannes Film Festival will welcome the industry's greatest stars to the South of France from 14 May 2024 to celebrate cinema. The 77th edition of the dazzling festival, held on the French Riviera this year, is jam-packed with premieres, star-studded press conferences, and lavish parties. Although there is usually a lot of noise during the Cannes Film Festival, this year's event might be the noisiest and most uncomfortable in recent memory.
This year's festival will take place amid war, protest, impending strikes, and the #MeToo movement's acceleration in France, a country that has for the most part rejected the movement for years. Protests are anticipated in response to the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the development of AI.
What is the Cannes Film Festival?
Cannes is the world's largest film festival, established in 1939 as an alternative to the fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival. It has been conducted annually since 1946, except for 1948 and 1950, when it was canceled owing to a lack of funding.
The festival is well-known for its carefully curated selection of films that have gone on to win Academy Awards or established the careers of directors such as Quentin Tarantino.
Date, time & broadcast of the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Film Festival 2024 will begin on May 14 and conclude on May 25, 2024. The Festival De Cannes is open from May 13 to May 14, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. IST), and from May 15 to May 25, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. IST), according to the official website.
The official website stated that individuals interested in watching the event can do so via the film festival's YouTube channel and official websites. A variety of information will be included in the live stream, such as the glitzy red carpet, only available interviews, press conferences, and other activities.
Which film will open the festival?
This year's festival will open with Quentin Dupieux's French-language comedy "The Second Act," starring Vincent London and Lea Seydoux.
Celebrities at Cannes red carpet
Bollywood is gearing up to grace the Cannes 2024 red carpet. The festival will feature well-known Bollywood celebrities including Sobhita Dhulipala, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. This year, a lot of digital producers and influencers will be attending Cannes for the first time.
RJ Karishma, Nancy Tyagi, Niharika, Ankush Bahuguna, Vitiligo, and many more are some of the new faces to keep an eye out for. Rapper and singer-songwriter King is also getting ready for his festival debut. Among the many other Hollywood celebrities who are expected to attend are George Lucas, Meryl Streep, and Demi Moore.
Indian films at Cannes 2024
With an entry in practically every major section, Cannes and its sidebars have never previously accommodated eight Indian or India-themed films.
Up to six of these will be nominated for prizes. The fact that, except for one, all of the Indian films at Cannes this year are either directed by women or are primarily focused on women is noteworthy. Payal Kapadia's Malayalam and Hindi co-production "All We Imagine as Light" is leading the Indian drive. It is a co-production between France and the Netherlands. It is the first Indian film to contend for the Palme d'Or, the festival's highest honor, in thirty years.
The films "Santosh" (directed by Indian-British filmmaker Sandhya Suri) and "The Shameless" (directed by Bulgarian Konstantin Bojanov), which substitutes Nepal for India, are up for honors in the Un Certain Regard category. "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know...", a film by FTII alumnus Chidananda S. Naik, is competing in the La Cinef competition for film school entrants.
Mansi Maheshwari, an Indian director, is representing the UK at La Cinef. "Bunnyhood," a self-reflexive graduation short produced at the National Short and Television School (NFTS), London, is in the works for the Meerut-born animation director. Directors' Fortnight features the India-British noir drama "Sister Midnight" directed by Karan Kandhari and starring Radhika Apte.
"In Retreat" is an austere meditation on the concept of home told via the minimalistic story of a man in his fifties who returns to Leh after a long absence and is terrified of reconnecting with the place he abandoned many years ago.
A 4K restored version of Shyam Benegal's crowdfunded 1976 film "Manthan" completes India's presence at Cannes this year. The film, which was directed by Govind Nihalani and co-written by writer Vijay Tendulkar, is a Cannes Classic.
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