Almost There: Tim Robbins in "The Player"

by Cláudio Alves

For the past few weeks, the Almost There series has been focused on performances that won at Cannes. Tomorrow, the latest edition of Europe's most prestigious film festival begins, so it's time to end our journey through the Croisette's past. After Woodward, Duvall, and Whitaker, it's time to take a look at Tim Robbins' work in Robert Altman's The Player. The flick marked its director's splashy comeback after a decade of minor works. Playing a venal big shot producer in a skewering of the movie business, Robbins won the Best Actor prize at Cannes, got terrific reviews, but failed to secure an Oscar nomination…

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Almost There: Forest Whitaker in "Bird"

by Cláudio Alves

After two Cannes Best Actress winners who failed to nab an Oscar nomination, the Almost There series arrives at one of the French festival's male acting champions. In 1988, Forest Whitaker starred as legendary bebop innovator and jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker in a Clint Eastwood-helmed. At Cannes, he won the big prize, and, on paper, the movie does seem like an obvious awards contender. It's from an acclaimed auteur, a traditional epically long biopic, and it came just two years after critics and the Academy had embraced the similarly-themed 'Round Midnight. However, Bird was only nominated for -and ended up winning- the Best Sound Oscar, leaving its leading man unheralded…

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74th Cannes. Spike Lee's Jury

by Nathaniel R

We've known for well over a year that Spike Lee would be presiding over the competition jury. And last week he became the first Jury President (that we know of) to ever be the poster star of the festival in the year he was jurying. How about that? People will also be excited to hear that the competition jury is majority women but that's not a first. It's actually the third time. Isabelle Huppert led a majority female jury in 2009 (White Ribbon won the Palme that year) and Jane Campion led a majority female jury in 2014 (Winter Sleep won).

LET'S MEET THE JURY...

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Almost There: Shelley Duvall in "3 Women"

by Cláudio Alves

The Almost There series' temporary fixation on Cannes-winning performances continues with the incomparable Shelley Duvall. In 1977, when her sixth collaboration with director Robert Altman premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Duvall took home the much-coveted Best Actress prize from a jury presided by Roberto Rossellini. The picture that earned such golden plaudits was 3 Women, a Bergman-esque exploration of juxtaposed and deconstructed identity that's also one of the best American films of its decade…

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74th Cannes. Official Poster and Index.

by Nathaniel R

Spike Lee is the cover subject of the new Cannes poster. Is this the first time a Jury President has also been the poster's star? It's a pity we aren't going to Cannes this year -- we've never been able to afford it *weeps* -- because we've been on the ball for coverage thus far. So here's an index to track. We've been updating the posts as new stills and information have emerged. 

• OFFICIAL COMPETITION LINEUP 

Jury: Writer/Director Spike Lee (US) and ???

• UN CERTAIN REGARD 

Jury: Writer Director Andrea Arnold (UK), Writer/Director Mounia Meddour (Algeria), Actress Elsa Zylberstein (France), Writer/Director Daniel Burman (Argentina), Director/Actor Michael Covino (US)

• CRITICS WEEK 

Jury: Writer/Director Cristian Mungiu (Romania) and ???

• DIRECTOR'S FORTNIGHT