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CANNES

Which stars will be at Cannes Film Festival?

With the Cannes Film Festival set to open in just over a month's time, speculation is swirling over which films - and which top actors - could be getting their moment under the French Riviera's sun.

Which stars will be at Cannes Film Festival?
Matthew McConaughey. Photo: AFP
Woody Allen is seen as more than likely to be walking the red carpet with his new flick, "Irrational Man". Cate Blanchett might also be along for her movie "Carol". And fellow Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey could appear for "The Sea of Trees" the latest film by director Gus Van Sant, which also stars Naomi Watts.
   
Cannes's organisers jealously guard their selections for the competition line-up and the out-of-competition programme until a month before the film fest opens.
   
They also have a dizzying task in choosing which movies make the cut, wading through some 1,800 films to winnow them down to short lists.
   
The director of the festival, Thierry Fremaux, said last week that "there is no more than a third of the selection definitively decided".
   
He added that he and his selection committee "watch the movies right to the end".
   
This year, the movies to be shown at Cannes will be announced on April 16th, and the festival will run from May 13th to 24th.
  
So far the only movie confirmed to be screened is "Mad Max: Fury Road". The dystopian sci-fi movie, the fourth in the high-action "Mad Max" franchise and the first to star British actor Tom Hardy in the title role, will be shown out of competition on May 14th just before its worldwide release.
   
Cannes mixes international arthouse cinema, Hollywood blockbusters, extravagant parties, industry wheeling and dealing, and eye-catching publicity stunts in a potent cocktail that has made it the pre-eminent global showcase for movies.
 

FILM

Cannes Film Festival postponed to July due to Covid

The Cannes Film Festival has been rescheduled for July 6th to 17th - postponed by around two months due to the ongoing virus crisis, organisers said on Wednesday.

Cannes Film Festival postponed to July due to Covid
The 2018 Palme d'Or winner Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda posing for the cameras at the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual highlight for movie lovers in France. Photo: AFP

“As announced last autumn, the Festival de Cannes reserved the right to change its dates depending on how the global health situation developed,” they said in a statement.

“Initially scheduled from 11th to 22nd May 2021, the Festival will therefore now take place from Tuesday 6th to Saturday 17th July 2021.”

The festival was cancelled last year, while rival European events in Berlin and Venice went ahead under strict health restrictions.

The Berlin Film Festival, which usually kicks off in February, said last month it would run this year's edition in two stages, an online offering for industry professionals in March and a public event in June.

France has closed all cinemas, theatres and show rooms alongside cafés, bars and restaurants as part of its Covid-19 health measures and the government has pushed back their reopening date until further notice due to rising levels of viral spread across the country.

The Cannes festival normally attracts some 45,000 people with official accreditations, of whom around 4,500 are journalists.

It had only been cancelled once before, due to the outbreak of war in 1939.

Its Film Market, held alongside the main competition, is the industry's biggest marketplace for producers, distributors, buyers and programmers.

Last year, the festival still made an official selection of 56 films – including the latest offerings from Wes Anderson, Francois Ozon and Steve McQueen – allowing them to use the “Cannes official selection” label.

 

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