Cannes 2024: Three more titles join the Official Competition

by Cláudio Alves

Michel Hazanavicius joins the Official Competition with an animated film.

As expected, a few more titles have been added to this year's Cannes Film Festival lineup. In the Premiere section, Jessica Palud's Maria Schneider biopic joins a star-studded selection. One of this year's two Count of Monte-Cristo adaptations will screen Out of Competition, while a pair of buzzy documentaries will bow in the Special Screenings program. They are Oliver Stone's Lula and Lou Ye's An Unfinished Film. Other new titles in that section include Arnaud Desplechin's latest Paul Dedalus film and Nasty, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, and Tudor D. Popescu. But of course, the most important announcements concern the Main Competition, where three films complete the 22-title lineup…

THE MOST PRECIOUS OF CARGOES, Michel Hazanavicius

Nathaniel already touched on this film in his April Fool's Oscar predictions for Best Animated Film. In short, this is a passion project for The Artist director, an adaptation of Jean-Claude Grumberg's novel set during the Holocaust about the plight of a child thrown from a train bound to Auschwitz. It has languished in development for years, to the point that it should include narration from Jean-Louis Trintignant, who died in 2022. The Dardenne brothers are credited as producers, while Alexandre Desplat provides the score as backdrop for a sorrowful show of traditional 2-D animation – a rarity in major festivals.

THREE MILES TO THE END OF THE WORLD, Emanuel Pârvu

For international cinephiles, Pârvu may be more recognizable as an actor than a director. He's starred in numerous works of the Romanian New Wave, including such festival prize-winners as Graduation and Miracol. Still, he's been building a name for himself behind the camera and will make his Cannes debut with Three Miles to the End of the World. Presumably, the film concerns the fate of a gay teen living in a small village in the Danube Delta. Trapped within a conservative community, he isn't even safe from his "loving" parents. Due to its queer themes, the film will likely be a contender for the Queer Palme. Last year's winner was Hirokazu Kore-eda for Monster.

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG, Mohammad Rasoulof

This Iranian auteur may be making his Cannes Main Competition debut, but he's no stranger to the Croisette. Two of his past features have premiered in the Un Certain Regard section, with A Man of Integrity winning its biggest prize in 2017. Then, he found even bigger success in Berlin, where his There Is No Evil won the Golden Bear in 2020. The director's new film is a bit of a mystery, perchance, because of Rasoulof's recurring conflicts with his country's government. Last year, he was barred from attending Cannes as a part of a parallel jury and has already spent his time in prison in response to his provocative cinema.

Are you excited about these new announcements? Do you have any early Palme d'Or predictions? Here are the rest of the competing titles.

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[Frank Zappa]

The Most of Precious of Cargoes vying for Best Animated, Best International and Best Picture (see new Academy rules).