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…

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Cannes 2024: Coppola and Cronenberg in Competition

by Cláudio Alves

Early this morning, journalists congregated around Thierry Frémaux for the announcement of the 77th Cannes Film Festival Official Selection. The director shared titles from various sections, confirming some suspected rumors and setting the world of cinephilia abuzz. As ever, the main focus is on the Competition titles, as the next Palme d'Or may be among the films already announced. But of course, a project or two are usually added before the festivities start at the Croisette, so our champion may remain in mystery. Many predicted Audrey Diwan's Emmanuelle remake to be selected, for instance, but the Happening director was notoriously absent from today's dispatch.

In the past few years, The Film Experience has had two parallel coverages, and we hope to keep the tradition. There's Elisa Giudici on the ground, reviewing new films through her festival diary. And then there's my Cannes at Home project, focused on past projects by the competing auteurs. Let's go down the list…

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Abe’s SXSW Jury of One

A shot from my front-row seat to the Q & A for THE FALL GUY.By Abe Friedtanzer

I had the pleasure of being back in Austin for the fourth time for the SXSW Film and TV Festival, which began on Friday, March 8^th and officially concluded Sunday, March 17^th. During my time there, I got to see 27 in-person films and screened 17 additional films, as well as the first two episodes of season three of Hacks, which premieres in May on Max (and is just as good as ever).

As usual, most of what I saw was really terrific. It was good to see major releases like Monkey Man and Civil War ahead of their theatrical releases with an enthusiastic crowd, though neither compared in quality to The Fall Guy, which was a lot of fun. Two streaming releases coming next month also make my top ten, and I’ll hope they’ll translate well to audiences watching at home...

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SXSW Review: ‘We Strangers’

By Abe Friedtanzer

It’s rarely comfortable to hear the kinds of things that people say to those they hire to work in their homes. Most grin and bear it, letting a reductive comment or offensive statement go for the sake of keeping a paycheck and not starting something. The protagonist of We Strangers does something different, utilizing the gullibility of one woman whose house she cleans to make some extra money and realizing that it will only make her more valuable. It’s only a half-calculated gamble, which defines most of what this vexing main character does…

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SXSW Review: ‘7 Keys’

Abe Friedtanzer

Do you still have the keys to the places you used to live? They might be good for sentimental value, or, if you’re feeling like some casual criminal activity, worth trying to see if the landlord or new owner didn’t actually change the locks. That concept is part of the premise for 7 Keys, an intoxicating, whirlwind thriller about two people who meet and go on a “property porn tour” of London while getting to know each other in a very intimate way. It’s wild and intense and overall quite a unique experience…

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