PARIS — Want to take a selfie on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival? Well, you can't. That's the message from top festival official Thierry Fremaux, who says red carpet-selfies will be banned at this year's star-studded event. Violators, he said on Europe-1 radio Wednesday, won't be let in to see films. When festival-goers take selfies as they climb the carpeted stairs to the French Riviera venue, he said everything becomes "disorganized" and the program "runs late." But as guardian of one of the world's most glamorous cultural events, Fremaux also has aesthetic concerns: "It's not beautiful. It's grotesque. It's ridiculous .... We want to restore a bit of decency." Fremaux also said recently that Netflix movies will be banned from competition at this year's festival, which runs May 8-19. … [Read more...] about Cannes Film Festival bans ‘grotesque’ red carpet selfies
French cannes film festival
Cannes Film Festival bans red carpet selfies
Want to take a selfie on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival? Well, now you can’t.That is the message from senior festival official Thierry Fremaux, who says red carpet selfies will be banned at this year’s star-studded event.Violators will not be let in to see films, he said.When festival-goers take selfies as they climb the carpeted stairs to the French Riviera venue, he said, everything becomes “disorganised” and the programme “runs late”.But as guardian of one of the world’s most glamorous cultural events, Mr Fremaux also has aesthetic concerns: “It’s not beautiful. It’s grotesque. It’s ridiculous. We want to restore a bit of decency.”He also said recently that Netflix movies will be banned from competition at this year’s festival, which runs from May 8 to 19. … [Read more...] about Cannes Film Festival bans red carpet selfies
Cannes Film Festival bans Netflix films from competition. Also, no more selfies.
Come May, two things will be missing from this year's Cannes Film Festival: films from streaming services and red-carpet selfies.In an exclusive interview with French magazine Le Film Français on Friday, festival director Thierry Fremaux announced changes to the prestigious event, which is in its 71st year and will run from May 8 to 19.Shaking things up, Fremaux declared that films from Netflix and other streaming services would not be eligible to compete for the Palme d'Or, the highest prize awarded at the film festival.Last year, two Netflix films -- Bong Joon-ho's "Okja" and Noah Baumbach's "The Meyerowitz Stories" -- were allowed in the competition, a decision that Fremaux said "created an enormous controversy that has echoed around the globe."The disagreement stemmed from conflict between Netflix wanting to debut films on its streaming service and a law known as French cultural exception, which has specific requirements for when films can move from theaters to other platforms … [Read more...] about Cannes Film Festival bans Netflix films from competition. Also, no more selfies.
Asghar Farhadi’s new film will open the 71st Cannes Film Festival
Everybody Knows is set for the coveted opening slot of the festival on May 8th.With the 81st Cannes Film Festival now little over a month away, the opening title gracing the French Riviera has been announced as Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows. Starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, the psychological thriller is Farhadi’s follow-up to 2016’s The Salesman, which took home Best Screenplay and Best Actor at Cannes in 2016. Filmed entirely in Spanish despite Farhadi being unable to speak the language, Everybody Knows is only the second Spanish language film ever to open the festival, following in the footsteps of Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education all the way back in 2004. It’s also the first title not directed by a French, American, British or Australian filmmaker to open Cannes since Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness back in 2008. Asghar’s no stranger to the Croisette, having premiered The Salesman in 2016 and The Past in 2013 – … [Read more...] about Asghar Farhadi’s new film will open the 71st Cannes Film Festival
25 films we’d like to see at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival
Claire Denis, Yorgos Lanthimos and Terrence Malick could be competing for this year’s Palme d’Or.With the 71st edition of the world’s most prestigious film festival fast approaching, we thought we’d have a go at predicting who will be contending for the Palme d’Or when the festivities get underway a little under two months from now. The official line-up is set to be announced on 12 April, but until then, here’s what we’d like to see at this year’s festival. 1. Peterloo Mike Leigh’s retelling of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester, looks a shoo-in for a Cannes competition berth, with production having wrapped towards the end of 2017. Timothy Spall picked up the Best Actor gong for Leigh’s 2014 biopic Mr Turner, and we’re tipping Maxine Peake to do the same in the Best Actress category this … [Read more...] about 25 films we’d like to see at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival