Deprived of screenings, the Cannes Film Festival unveils its 2020 selection

The image is symbolic. It was in front of the empty armchairs of the UGC Normandie cinema in Paris, that the president of the Cannes festival, Pierre Lescure, and his general delegate Thierry Frémaux, presented Wednesday "June 2020 the official selection".

The 73rd edition of the festival had to be canceled this year due to the global health crisis, a first in 70 years. But the organizers of the biggest film festival in the world, with Venice and Berlin, are not let down and present a selection without competition.

In the list of films selected, the highly anticipated "The French Dispatch" by Wes Anderson, "Eté 85" by François Ozon or two films by Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen. 

The Official Selection for the 73rd edition has been announced! Follow the selected films' progress in cinemas and other film festivals using the hashtag # Cannes2020.
► See the list of 2020's films 🎬: https://t.co/JTpo2RUHzO pic.twitter.com/f5iTYJPhrF

A total of 56 films make up this exceptional "official selection", in which the films are not divided as usual into sections such as the competition, the "out of competition" or the "special screenings". 

"This selection shows that cinema is still alive, it was also during confinement," said Thierry Frémaux, in charge of the selection. "The filmmakers have not given up since they sent 2,067 films to us, which is a record," he said. 

"We had to find other forms," ​​he continued, indicating that the festival would "accompany the films" retained "in theaters, at festivals and digitally".

The "Cannes faithful" are there

Some films, expected in selection, are "absent because their authors and producers have chosen to postpone their release to winter or spring 2021", he explained. But others are there.

Among those he defined as "the faithful of Cannes, the tenors", the American Wes Anderson was notably chosen without surprise for "The French Dispatch", filmed in Angoulême, in the south-west of France, with a host of stars, including Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Timothée Chalamet.

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
A film by Wes Anderson
In Theaters July #TheFrenchDispatch pic.twitter.com/RRDhZLHO7c

The director of "Twelve Years a slave", the Briton Steve McQueen, also appears in the list with two films, "Lovers Rock" and "Mangrove". "Two historic films", one of which, "Mangrove", is "a film of the trial of police officers who harass the black community", a theme which "resonates very dramatically with what happened to George Floyd and Adama Traoré", explained Thierry Frémaux.

The Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase is selected with "True Mothers", a film on adoption, and the Dane Thomas Vinterberg with "Druk", on the crisis of the fifties.

As for French films, particularly well represented with 21 feature films, François Ozon was notably selected with "Eté 85", which will be released on July 15.

Maïwenn, who presented at Cannes in competition "Polisse" in 2011 and "Mon roi" in 2015, is also selected with "ADN", a film "extraordinarily touching" which evokes "his return to his roots".   

First feature films and comedies    

This selection is also marked by a high number of first feature films: 15 (more than a quarter of the total), compared to 10 in 2019.

Among these, several are made by actors who pass behind the camera, like "Falling" by Viggo Mortensen, "Ibrahim" by Samir Guesmi or "Garçon chiffon" by Nicolas Maury, famous for his role in the series "Dix pour hundred".

Joy and great emotion to see # GarçonChiffon, the first film of my brother Nicolas Maury in the official selection of @Festival_Cannes! Cinema release December 2, 2020! @films_dulosange @RomainBlondeau pic.twitter.com/0Ue91JGIbw

The Festival also selected five comedies, in a desire to "take risks or try things", according to Thierry Frémaux. Among them, "Les Deux Alfred" by Bruno Podalydès, "L'origine du monde" by Laurent Lafitte, or "Un Triomphe" by Emmanuel Courcol, "a 'feel good movie' with Kad Merad".

👏 Congratulations 👏 to the crew of the film UN TRIOMPHE by Emmanuel Courcol with @KadMerad for their official selection at @Festival_Cannes 2020!
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
AT THE CINEMA ON OCTOBER 28
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ pic.twitter.com/Mw1MH46NcU

Four animated films were also chosen, including "Soul" by Pete Docter, the latest addition to Pixar studios.

The Cannes festival is getting closer to the Mostra

With this Cannes 2020 label, the festival hopes in particular to allow these films to benefit from maximum exposure, while the cinema sector is severely hit by the crisis.

Thierry Frémaux had also indicated working on collaborations with other international festivals.

"We talked a lot," he said, recalling that the idea had been raised "to do something" with the Venice Film Festival, which is to be held in early September. "The Cannes Film Festival will soon unveil how it will operate next fall," he promised.

With AFP

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