Fans of French director Arnaud Desplechin will be delighted by his return to form with Trois Souvenirs de Ma Jeunesse after his previous film Jimmy P was almost universally hammered by critics at last year’s Cannes film festival. Perhaps to avoid similar disappointment, Trois Souvenirs… was not included in the main competition this year, but…
Stéphane Brizé’s La Loi du Marché, one of four French films in the official competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival, is social realism at its grittiest and most unforgiving. Mostly set in one of the featureless out-of-town shopping centres much loved by French directors of late (Louis-Julien Petit’s Discount, Marianne Tardieu’s Qui Vive), Brizé’s film takes…
With the first female-directed film to open the Cannes film festival since A Man in Love by Diane Kurys 28 years ago, there’s a lot riding on Emmanuelle Bercot’s La Tête haute. And she doesn’t disappoint. The gruelling story of Malony, an adolescent shunted around by the French administration in an effort to turn him into…
Just three days to go before the stars hit the red carpet at the Cannes film festival, one of the most highly anticipated cinema events of the year. Jaqcues Audiard, actor/director Maïwenn, newcomer Stéphane Brizé and Valérie Donzelli are among the French directors competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or while Britain’s Sienna Miller, Oscar nominated actor Jake Gyllenhall…
This year’s Cannes Film Festival will honour actress Ingrid Bergam, who features on the poster for the world’s most prestigious film festival which opens next month. Based on a photograph by Magnum agency’s David Seymour, the poster was created by Hervé Chigioni and graphic designed Gilles Frappier who were behind last year’s festival poster of…
It’s been 54 years since veteran Franco-Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard wowed audiences with Breathless simultaneously introducing international cinemagoers to the French New Wave and launching the career of leading man Jean-Paul Belmondo. And it’s a glowing testament to his huge creative talent that aged 83, he is still one of cinema’s most innovative directors. Adieu…
Film critics were virtually unanimous in praise of Deux Jours, Une Nuit by Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne after an in-competition screening at the Cannes film festival on Tuesday. And deservedly so. The moving story of a woman who needs to persuade her co-workers to give-up a 1000 euro bonus or she will lose…
As the 67th Cannes Film Festival reaches the halfway point, three films have emerged so far as top contenders to win the coveted Palme d’or on Saturday. The Dardenne brothers, Deux Jours, Une Nuit (Two days, One Night) was given five-star reviews after today’s screening from critics at The Guardian, Le Monde newspaper and Premier magazine.…
The 67th Cannes Film Festival got off to a controversial start on Wednesday with the screening of Olivier Dahan’s Grace of Monaco starring Australian actor Nicole Kidman and Britain’s Tim Roth. The film was booed by some members of the audience while international press reviews almost unanimously gave it the thumbs down. Peter Bradshaw, film…