Cannes Film Festival: Here's what to expect at the world's prestigious event this year

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will kick off on Tuesday, welcoming celebrated filmmakers and debutants to the city on the French Riviera. Celebrated actor Juliette Binoche is heading the jury in the main competition, comprising filmmakers Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sang-soo, Payal Kapadia, Carlos Reygada, Alba Rohrwacher, Leila Slimani, and Jeremy Strong, as jury members.

Films competing in the main competition section will be eligible to win the Palme d'Or, which is the biggest prize at the prestigious festival. In recent years, films that walked away with the Palme d'Or went on to win big at the Oscars. The American romantic comedy, which won the Palme d'Or in 2024, bagged five Oscars. Cannes' top film in 2023, 'Anatomy of a Fall', also won one Academy Award. It's pick in 2019, "Parasite", memorably became the first non-English-language film to win the best picture Oscar.

French film 'Leave one day' (Partir Un Jour) by debutant director Amélie Bonnin will open the festival, which will conclude on May 24. Legendary actor Robert De Niro will receive the honorary Palme d'Or 49 years after Taxi Driver premiered at the Cannes.

As per Reuters, this year, US director Wes Anderson will be launching his new movie 'The Phoenician Scheme,' which will be competing against independent films including the likes of Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value' and Julia Ducournau's 'Alpha'.

Films screening outside the competition include the new 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning', as well as Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest', starring Denzel Washington. Three films about the war in Ukraine will be shown as part of a 'Ukraine Day' event.

Indian connection at Cannes

Restored 4K version of celebrated filmmaker Satyajit Ray's 'Aranyer Din Ratri' (Days and Nights in the Forest) to be screened at Festival. Wes Anderson and Sharmila Tagore will present the film at the festival. Meanwhile, 'Homebound' directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and featuring Ishan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in lead roles has been selected at Cannes and will compete in the Un Certain Regard section. Short film 'A Doll Made Up of Clay' directed by an international student Kokob Gebrehaweria of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Instititue (SRFTI), about African footballers and their struggle in Kolkata, will be screened at the La Cinef section of the festival.