Everything we know about Cannes 2024

The month of April and spring have freshly begun, the days are getting longer, and the warm breeze of Cannes is already in the air. Between stars adorned in gowns by top designers, successful directors, emerging talents, red carpets, and glamorous soirées on the Croisette, the Cannes Film Festival remains each year the event that everyone keeps talking about. Beyond the celebrities one might encounter and all the glamour that ensues, the event represents cinematic excellence for almost 80 years and is now the most widely publicized film festival in the world. A ceremony that has become legendary, Cannes has acquired a reputation based on the balance between the artistic quality of the films presented and their commercial impact. While the selected films may sometimes only appeal to a niche audience of discerning cinephiles, mere participation in the festival already ensures directors and actors a brand image and a certain prestige. In 2023, the legal thriller Anatomy of a Fall directed by Justine Triet received the Palme d'Or. This year is also remembered for Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn, which was screened as the opening film and was at the center of some controversies in the media. The year 2023 also entered history for its record presence of female directors at the festival; Justine Triet being the third woman to receive the Palme d'Or in 79 years, alongside 6 other female directors in competition the same year. So, what does Cannes 2024 and this 77th edition have in store for us? Who will be in the spotlight on the red carpet? Which young talents will be acclaimed by critics and the public? And what will be the films that we will be eager to see on the big screen?

As every year, the Cannes Film Festival takes place in spring, starting from the second half of May, giving participants the opportunity to showcase their finest summer outfits. This year, the ceremony will take place from May 14th to 25th. The Cannes Film Festival jury, playing a crucial role in recognizing and rewarding cinematic excellence, is usually composed of prominent figures from the film world. Although incomplete to date, some protagonists have already been announced. Thus, the director and actress Greta Gerwig will have the honor of being the jury president this year. Director of the iconic successful film Barbie, Greta Gerwig is the first American filmmaker and the twelfth woman in 77 editions to preside over the Cannes jury. The last to date being Australian actress Cate Blanchett in 2018. Representing this feminine ascent in the film industry, Greta Gerwig also testifies to the renewal of the seventh art while embodying her time. A regular at the event with several films in competition and having already been awarded the Jury Prize for Mommy in 2014 and the Grand Prix in 2016 for It's Only the End of the World, Canadian director and actor Xavier Dolan will also be part of it this year, designated as president of the Un Certain Regard jury, a parallel section of the official competition dedicated to auteur cinema and discovery. To complete this panel of unique personalities, who better than our talented and charismatic favorite Connasse, Camille Cottin, to perfect the emblematic role of opening and closing ceremony host? After Virginie Efira in 2022 and Chiara Mastroianni in 2023, the actress will be in charge of animating the ceremony while preserving its festive and elegant atmosphere.

As for the screenings that festival participants will have the chance to attend as premieres, the official announcement of the selection will take place this Thursday, April 11th. It is already known that The Second Act by Quentin Dupieux will be presented as the opening film. Known for his offbeat humor and singular artistic approach combining the absurd with a subtle critique of contemporary society, Quentin Dupieux, also known as Mr. Oizo, is famous for his eccentric films such as Rubber and Keep an Eye Out!. In a completely different register, Furiosa by George Miller will also be presented as a premiere at the festival. Directed by the visionary behind the legendary Mad Max franchise, the feature promises to be an epic and visually stunning adventure, already sparking excitement among fans of the post-apocalyptic genre. While awaiting the actual selection, rumors and expectations from our cinephiles suggest that the musical comedy Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard, the thriller The Shrouds by David Cronenberg, or even the erotic film Emmanuelle by Audrey Diwan could well be among the gems of the selection for these 12 days of festivities.