Jackie Shannon
When it comes to major movie releases of the blue ribbon variety, The Cannes Film Festival usually leads the way, premiering the latest works from the biggest names in cinema. The just-announced line-up for this year’s festival, however, leans surprisingly heavily on past masters, with the grey set strongly represented by ageing legends like Woody Allen (Café Society), Pedro Almodovar (Julieta), The Dardenne Brothers (La Fille Inconnue), Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake), and Paul Verhoeven (Elle). Eternal hipster, Jim Jarmusch, also has two films playing (Paterson, Gimme Danger), but admittedly, he’s had grey hair since he was in his twenties. You can also add Mad Max master, the great Dr. George Miller, to that aforementioned grey set list, with the Oscar-robbed director presiding over this year’s jury.
Slightly more youthful talent comes in the form of Xavier Dolan (It’s Only The End Of The World), Jeff Nichols (Loving), Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon), and Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic), though they’re not exactly whipper-snappers, Dolan excluded.
Surprisingly, considering the current and omnipotent discussion around gender disparity in the film industry, the number of female filmmakers with titles in the main competition sections is embarrassingly small. Brit helmer, Andrea Arnold, is in the mix with American Honey (starring Shia LaBeouf), alongside Nicole Garcia (Mal De Pierres), Maren Ade (Toni Edrmann), and a handful of others, while Jodie Foster will present her George Clooney and Julia Roberts-starring thriller, Money Monster, out of competition.
Yes, it looks like a fest filled with potential winners, but a few more women (hell, a lot more women) would have been more than welcome.
