Cannes at Home: Let's Wrap This Up!

by Cláudio Alves

The heart yearns for Bi Gan's RESURRECTION.

So, while there may still be some Cannes-related articles to come at The Film Experience, it's time to say a belated goodbye to another edition of Cannes at Home. I hope you've enjoyed this look into past works from the batch of directors who just vied for the Palme. This year, Saeed Roustaee was one of the last auteurs to take their bow at the Croisette, presenting his Woman and Child to mixed reviews that still made sure to highlight the film's cast. Bi Gan brought experimental verve to the competition with Resurrection, which took home a Special Jury prize. I won't lie, despite Panahi's Palme, this genre-hopping Chinese epic about the senses of cinema is my most anticipated title from the fest. Then came the Dardennes' Young Mothers, winner of this year's Best Screenplay award. And as the last competition title, Thierry Fremaux programmed Kelly Reichardt's 70s-set heist drama The Mastermind, with Josh O'Connor in the lead. 

For our homebound festival, let's revisit Roustaee's Life and a Day, Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey Into Night, the Dardennes' Tori and Lokita, and Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff…

Click to read more ...

Cannes at Home: Murder in the Alps, Fire in Galicia, and more!

by Cláudio Alves

I don't know about you, but I can't contain my excitement for SIRÂT.

After Schilinski and Loznitsa had the honor of opening this year's Official Competition at Cannes, the next few days at the fest have seen many another auteur take their bow. Reviews vary wildly, but it seems that Oliver Laxe's Sirât is a winner, while Dominik Moll's Dossier 137 has inspired some of the least enthusiastic reviews coming out of the Croisette. Hafsia Herzi's The Little Sister didn't make much of a splash either, though critics have been kinder to the second French production vying for the Palme d'Or. Finally, nobody's indifferent to Ari Aster's Eddington, a polarizing Cannes premiere if there ever was one. But that's business as usual for the American director, whose works have caused extreme reactions of adoration and revilement ever since Hereditary hit theaters in 2018.

For Cannes at Home, I invite you to revisit Moll's The Night of the 12th, Laxe's Fire Will Come, Herzi's You Deserve a Lover, and Aster's Beau Is Afraid…

Click to read more ...

Cannes at Home: We're Back!

by Cláudio Alves

Could SOUND OF FALLING be the first German film to win the Palme since THE WHITE RIBBON?

As the title says, we're back! Well, I'm back, to be precise. Apologies for my absence in the last few weeks, but I've been busy, here in Portugal, covering the IndieLisboa Film Festival. Indeed, I might still write something about the many great works I caught there for The Film Experience readership. But, in the meantime, my attention shall be on Cannes and batting away the cinephile FOMO that befalls those of us who're staying home, watching from afar as some of the year's most anticipated films make their bow at the Croisette. Nick Taylor is doing some anniversary posting while Elisa Giudici is reporting from the festivities, so I'll be doing my usual schtick and explore past works from this edition's Official Competition auteurs. 

A few days of competition screenings have passed. Still, it all started with German director Mascha Schilinski's Sound of Falling, which received sterling reviews from international critics and is already considered a contender for end-of-the-festival honors. Sergei Loznitsa's Two Prosecutors marks a more unheralded return to fiction from the Ukrainian filmmaker. Let's look at their triumphs from years past…

Click to read more ...

Cannes 2025: Ducournau returns and Spike Lee plays Out of Competition

by Cláudio Alves

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST will bring Denzel Washington to Cannes for the first time since 1993.

Thierry Frémaux and company have announced the 78th Cannes Film Festival lineup, with many familiar faces returning to the Main Competition. Former Palme d'Or victors Julia Ducournau and the Dardenne brothers are back in the race, while Golden Bear champion Carla Simón will present her first feature since Alcarràs took Berlin by storm. Speaking of the German fest, Richard Linklater just directed Andrew Scott to an award there and will now bow his Nouvelle Vague at the Croisette. Juliette Binoche will preside over the jury to decide these filmmakers' fates, but we're still awaiting updates regarding the other jurors.

Our own Elisa Giudici will be on the ground covering the fest for The Film Experience as she's been doing for the past few years. I'll try to offer another edition of Cannes at Home for those battling cinephile FOMO. In any case, here's the full Main Competition slate Elisa will be considering in a month's time…

Click to read more ...

Oscar Volleys: As usual, Best Live-Action and Documentary Short Film are hard to predict

The Oscar Volleys continue, even as the Academy Awards ceremony draws ever closer. Tonight, Cláudio Alves and Ben Miller discuss the Best Live-Action and Documentary Short races...

ANUJA | © Netflix

CLÁUDIO: Well, we're starting to run out of Oscar categories to discuss at The Film Experience. But we couldn't go into the season's pinnacle without giving some attention to the two least-loved races - Best Live-Action and Best Documentary Short Film. And look, I get it. AMPAS rarely showcases good short-form cinema, having a bizarre predilection for miserabilism and stupid twists, moral lectures, and very little audiovisual invention. Where is Godard, or John Smith, or Leos Carax, or Steve McQueen, or Laura Citarella, or Takashi Miike? Nevertheless, AMPAS' favorite miniature pictures deserve to be considered, and there's even a highlight or two to celebrate. Do you agree?

BEN: Every year, these categories give me something that really knocks my socks off. Even if you have something like Animated Short, those are usually very digestible or play in front of a wildly popular Pixar film.  That's not the case with these.  You really have to go out of your way to see these shorts, but they are so very worth it...

Click to read more ...