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The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is scheduled for this month, from the 16th to the 27th, featuring new films from many of the world's foremost auteurs. Following recent tradition, here at The Film Experience, Elisa Giudicci will be covering the festival at the Croisette, while I'll offer parallel programming through the Cannes at Home miniseries. It's always interesting to explore works from the competing directors, be they this year's offerings or past efforts. Another point of curiosity is the end of that competition when the festival's main jury will reward one of the 21 selected directors with the Palme d'Or. We might even see a past victor repeat their triumph.
That happened at the last edition when Ruben Östlund won his second Cannes with Triangle of Sadness. So, it's only logical that he was invited to preside over this edition's jury, something we've known for weeks. The rest of the jury, however, was only revealed today…
As usual, the Cannes jury is dominated by actors and directors, with the occasional writer mixed in. It's exceedingly rare, nowadays, for other sorts of cinema creatives to appear. This batch is full of multi-hyphenates with varying international fame, including an Oscar-winner actress and another Palme d'Or recipient to match Östlund. The jurors are:
- PAUL DANO – American actor and director
This star needs no introduction around these parts, arriving at the Croisette after another high-profile Oscar snub for The Fabelmans. In 2018, Dano presented his directorial debut at Cannes, though Wild Life did not win the Camera d'Or.
- JULIA DUCOURNAU – French director
The Titane auteur won the 2021 Palme d'Or from Spike Lee's jury in a closing ceremony full of mishaps. Her twisted visions of body horror, gender fluidity, sex and violence have accrued as many fans as detractors. In short, Ducournau's cinema isn't for everyone, but those who can get into her wavelength are probably fans for life.
- BRIE LARSON – American actress and director
Once upon a time, Larson was a critics' darling with a robust filmography full of fascinating indies. However, since her Oscar win for Room, the actress has seemingly devoted more attention to mainstream pursuits. She's currently the MCU's Captain Marvel, with another movie coming later this year.
- DENIS MÉNOCHET – French actor
Recently, this Gallic thespian dipped his toes into Spanish cinema, earning some of the best reviews of his career and a Goya for The Beasts. In the same season, his work in Ozon's Peter von Kant won him a third César nomination, following recognition for his work in Custody and By the Grace of God. However, audiences allergic to international cinema might still be familiar with Ménochet. He was the French farmer in the Inglourious Basterds bloody opening, had a small part in Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, and can now be seen in theaters terrorizing Joaquin Phoenix in Beau is Afraid.
- RUNGANO NYONI – Zambian-Welsh writer and director
After years of perfecting her craft in short films and video, Nyoni reached widespread acclaim for her sophomore feature, I Am Not a Witch. For that tremendous film, she won a BAFTA and two British Independent Film Awards. I Am Not a Witch was also the United Kingdom's submission for the 91st Academy Awards.
- ATIQ RAHIMI – French-Afghan writer and director
Though he started as a novelist, Atiq Rahimi has spent the last decades expanding his art to the big screen. His directorial debut, Earth and Ashes, premiered at Cannes in 2004, winning an award from the Un Certain Regard section. Later, The Patience Stone would be selected to represent Afghanistan at the Oscars, while Our Lady of the Nile received multiple honors in the festival circuit. Curiously enough, that latter film's cowriter, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, is one of the directors in this year's Official Competition.
- DAMIÁN SZIFRÓN – Argentinian writer and director
To international audiences, Szifrón will be known chiefly for his 2014 Oscar-nominated smash-hit Wild Tales. That film is still the most successful national production in the history of Argentina's cinema. Since then, he has directed the American thriller To Catch a Killer and is in the development of a cinematic adaptation based on the TV series Los Simuladores.
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- MARYAM TOUZANI – Moroccan actress and director
At the start of her career, Touzani primarily worked as a screenwriter while trying to develop her directorial style in documentary short projects. However, in the past decade, she has expanded into fiction filmmaking and features. Her most acclaimed work is her latest effort, The Blue Caftan, which represented Morocco at the 95th Academy Award and enjoyed a limited release in American theaters earlier this year.
Are you excited for this year's Cannes Film Festival? Which titles are you most anticipating?