If the Festival de Cannes is approaching, then it’s time for this journo to check her inbox at least a hundred times a day. News include the announcement of the Caméra d'or for first works Jury President and two posters for ‘A Man and a Woman’ as the image of the Croisette for this 2025 edition.
A Man, a Woman and two posters
Even the day after Easter, as the world media seemed to be intent on its Papal one-note reporting, the Cannes Film Festival gave us something different to think about. It came through a late afternoon email announcing two posters representing the upcoming edition. Both shots of Claude Lelouch's 1966 film A Man and a Woman, starring the late actors Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant. A magnificent tribute to the 7th Art and at once, an ode to coolness everywhere.
“A man.
A woman.
A deserted beach.
A turbulent sky.
Intoxicating music.
A 3-month-old idea.
A 3-week shoot.
A 20-second scene.
Eternity lasts but a moment in the end.”
The rest of the press release read “It was 60 years ago. In 1965, two damaged beings played by Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant met, charmed each other, resisted, and finally twirled under Claude Lelouch's incandescent camera. The Palme d'or in Cannes in 1966, the two Oscars in Hollywood in 1967 and the dozens of awards around the world pale in comparison to this grandiose moment of tenderness, simplicity and beauty.”
Beautiful each in their own right, the two camera angles of this legendary hug seems to be a way for us to celebrate coming together. There is nothing more beautiful, more heart-warming than a hug, and when it’s between a man and a woman, it’s downright life-changing.
The announcement stated: “During times that seem to want to separate, compartmentalize or subjugate, the Festival de Cannes wants to (re)unite; to bring bodies, hearts and souls closer together; to encourage freedom and portray movement in order to perpetuate it; to embody the whirlwind of life to celebrate it, again and again.” I love it and love the posters.
The wondrous Alice Rohrwacher is named President of the Caméra d'or Jury
Alice Rohrwacher © Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
After last year's duo with Emmanuelle Béart and Baloji, this year Italian director and screenwriter Alice Rohrwacher was chosen to chair the Jury of the Caméra d'or. This award honors a first feature film presented in the Official Selection, at the Critics' Week or the Directors' Fortnight. Among those films are a couple I had the privilege to mentor in Qatar earlier this month, during the Doha Film Institute’s annual Qumra industry incubator. Fingers crossed that these works, both human stories told in brushes of magical realism, will appeal to the imaginative Rohrwacher. And stay tuned for a feature on her latest collaboration with artist and photographer JR — An Urban Allegory (in French: Allégorie citadine).
“First times are always important and they stay with us for the rest of our lives. Like entering an unfamiliar room, approaching one’s beloved for a first kiss, or landing on a foreign shore. There’s something golden that haloes these moments in our memory. Is that why the most prestigious award for first films is called Caméra d’or?”
Rohrwacher is a Cannes baby, meaning most of her films have premiered on the Croisette, including Happy as Lazzaro, which screened there in 2018. I had the pleasure to interview the Florentine-German filmmaker on that occasion, thanks to the late Richard Lormand — her publicist and my roommate at the festival.
Rohrwacher, who follows the footsteps of last year’s duo Emmanuelle Béart and Baloji, will in turn recognize a filmmaker's debut at the Closing Ceremony of the 78th Festival de Cannes on Saturday May 24. In 2024, the Caméra d'or went to Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel for Armand, which premiered at Un Certain Regard.
French-Algerian comedian Alain Chabat to be Directors’ Fortnight special guest
There is much to love about Alain Chabat. For one, he was born in the beautiful city of Oran, Algeria. Also, he’s a beloved comedian in France, and beyond, and has starred in films from Didier to RRRrrrr!!!, from Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra to Christmas & Co., and more.
And that hair alone, is a sight to behold.
Now, he’s been announced as Honorary Guest of the Quinzaine and was given, “carte blanche to pick a surprise film that will be revealed during the festival. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Alain Chabat, in which he will reflect on the comedies that have made him laugh, and have played a big role in his life and filmmaking…” According to the latest Quinzaine announcement. So, one more reason to look forward to the Croisette.
Oh, and that film will be revealed mid-festival, on May 20th, at the Théâtre Croisette, under the JW Marriott in Cannes, the home of the Directors’ Fortnight on the Croisette.
All images courtesy of the Festival de Cannes, used with permission.