(Cannes) After celebrating its 75e anniversary with pomp last year, the Cannes Film Festival now intends to begin a new chapter in its history. Renewal, an increased presence of women in the organization and the selection committees, with, always, controversies without which the biggest film festival in the world would not be what it is.
The hours are counted before the opening, this Tuesday, of 76e Cannes film festival. All around the Palais des festivals, workers are bustling about, the red carpet is unfolding, onlookers are already reserving their place by setting up their stools, festival-goers are running like headless chickens to get their hands on their precious badges while jeering at the electronic ticketing system which, of course, has some hiccups.
“But if you thought this festival was one of rapists, you wouldn’t be here listening to me, imagining taking your accreditation, protesting because you don’t have a ticket. Thierry Frémaux made this spectacular declaration on Monday, addressing the journalists gathered in the press conference room. The delegate general was called upon to comment on the recent – sensational – release of actress Adèle Haenel in a missive in which she explained her withdrawal from the world of cinema, denouncing at the same time a whole system – of which Cannes is a part, according to her – protecting sexual abusers.
“She spoke of Cannes, no doubt for reasons of radicalism, but her comment is completely false, erroneous. I don’t blame her for thinking the opposite now, but she didn’t think that when she came to the festival as an actress, ”lamented Thierry Frémaux.
PHOTO SARAH MEYSSONNIER, REUTERS
The day before the opening of 76e Cannes Film Festival, General Delegate Thierry Frémaux answered questions from journalists.
Beyond the cases of sexual misconduct and the #metoo movement, which strongly shook the world of cinema, the lack of space given to women in the Cannes selections has long been the subject of debate and criticism. It turns out, however, that this year, seven directors can hope to obtain the Palme d’or, a record. If he refused criticism at the time when the notorious absence of female directors in competition was denounced, the general delegate does not give himself the credit for these more numerous selections either.
“I have no more merit in selecting seven female directors than criticism to receive when there were fewer. It is an evolution. In 2021, Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or thanks to Titanium, but that year, all the other Cannes awards (Palme d’or for short films, Un certain regard, Caméra d’or) were won by female directors. However, I have not seen many analyzes highlighting the phenomenon. »
I find it normal that Cannes was attacked 10 years ago on this issue. But there is now a real evolution that is talked about too little. The female gaze brings another way of telling. This is something that was missing in cinema.
Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of 76e Cannes film festival
Austrian Jessica Hausner (Club Zero with Mia Wasikowska), the French Justine Triet (Anatomy of a fall with Sandra Hüller and Swann Arlaud), Catherine Breillat (Last summer with Léa Drucker and Olivier Rabourdin) and Catherine Corsini (The return), the Italian Alice Rohrwacher (the chimera with Isabella Rossellini and Josh O’Connor), the Senegalese Ramata-Toulaye Sy (Banel and Adama is her first film) and the Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania (Olfa’s daughters is a docudrama) will try to succeed Jane Campion (The Piano in 1993) and Julia Ducournau (Titanium in 2021), so far the only two directors to have obtained the supreme laurel.
Remember that among the 21 filmmakers eligible for the Palme d’Or, five are former winners. The Japanese Hirokazu Kore-eda (A family matterwinner in 2018) is back with Monsterthe Italian Nanni Moretti (Golden Palm in 2001 with The son’s room) propose to Il sol dell’avvenire (Mathieu Amalric replies to the filmmaker), the Turkish Nuri Bilge Ceylan (awarded in 2014 thanks to Winter Sleep) will launch dry herbsthe German Wim Wenders, whose Paris, Texas won the Palme in 1984, returned to service with Perfect Dayswithout forgetting Ken Loach with The Old Oak. The British veteran, winner in 2006 thanks to The Wind that Shakes the Barleyas well as in 2016 thanks to I, Daniel Blakecould make history by becoming the very first filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or for the third time.
Johnny Depp opening
A controversy rarely arriving alone, Thierry Frémaux also had to explain the choice to open this Tuesday the festival with Jeanne du Barry, a film by Maïwenn marking the return of Johnny Depp to the cinema. A journalist from variety further pointed out to the CEO that because of the high-profile lawsuit against his former wife Amber Heard, the star of Pirates of the Caribbean is today a very controversial figure in the United States, that “his image is very different from that which he has in France”, and that this selection shocked the Americans.
PHOTO STÉPHANIE BRANCHU, PROVIDED BY THE PACTE
Johnny Depp will climb the stairs with Maïwenn. Presented out of competition, Jeanne du Barrya film by Maïwenn, has the honor of opening the 76e Cannes film festival.
“I don’t know the image of Johnny Depp in the United States, replied the general delegate. I have only one conduct in life: the freedom to think, to speak, and to act within the framework of the law. If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a movie, and if that movie had been banned, we wouldn’t be talking about it here. We saw the film and we didn’t ask ourselves any questions of this nature. Question which, by the way, was raised only during the announcement of the selection. I took no interest in the trial at all. Johnny Depp interests me as an actor. »
Maïwenn has also confirmed that the American actor was going to accompany him during the climb of the steps on Tuesday. Will Johnny Depp go so far as to appear before the journalists at the press conference scheduled for Wednesday? That remains to be seen.
But, controversial or not, Thierry Frémaux is delighted with the idea that during the next two weeks, “the cinema will be at the heart of the world”, he liked to say. Few people on the Croisette would dare to contradict him.