These are the most exciting films premiering at Cannes this year
From a star-studded zombie comedy to Quentin Tarantino’s latest period piece, these are the pictures we can’t wait to see at the film festival
Once again, in a flurry of A-listers, superyachts and red carpets, the Cannes Film Festival has kicked off. But which films are set to become classics, take the Riviera by storm and start their year-long ride towards next year’s Academy Awards? We roll cameras on the flicks to look out for…
The Dead Don’t Die, dir. Jim Jarmusch
Proving that the long-living zombie genre just won’t die, The Dead Don’t Die groaned and shuffled its way along the Riviera to open the Cannes Film Festival three days ago. And, on the face of it, the cast alone of Jim Jarmusch’s latest film promises a delicious — albeit undead — prospect.
Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Iggy Pop, Selena Gomez, Danny Glover and Steve Buscemi all pop up in the zom-com — which is one of the 21 films up for the coveted Palme d’Or award. The story is set in Centerville, where the dead have rather inconveniently started rising from their graves and nibbling on the living. Reviews have been mixed, but we envisage it becoming a cult classic — bouncing back with the all vigour and rigor mortis of the film’s undead stars.
Little Joe, dir. Jessica Hausner
Starring Emily Beecham and Ben Whishaw, this unsettling sci-fi tells the tale of a genetically modified plant that brings happiness to its owners. Sounds strange? Undoubtedly. Award-winning? Potentially.
The big twist features Beecham’s mysterious Alice, the woman responsible for engineering the curious crimson flower — when, in a dramatic turn of events, she breaks company policy and smuggles the plant home to her son as a gift. Only, when she gets it there, she finds that its not quite so rosy after all…
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, dir. Quentin Tarantino
When Quentin Tarantino was filming Inglorious Basterds in 2008, his working title was ‘Once Upon A Time In Nazi-Occupied France’. And it seems that the idea, although it slipped then, has stuck in his head. As has the casting of Brad Pitt, who makes his return to the Tarantino-verse with this black comedy period pic.
With Al Pacino, Margot Robbie and a stream of other A-listers cropping up in 60s Hollywood, the film tells the story of a television actor and his stunt double — winding through multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age. But with lots of swearing. And probably blood. We can’t wait.
Sorry We Missed You, dir. Ken Loach
Ken Loach’s cinema has an incredibly recognisable tone. Kitchen sink, down-to-earth drama is the name of the director’s game, and Sorry We Missed You is no different.
Exploring zero-hour contracts, and the affect they have on the lives of employees, the film follows a building worker and contract nurse around Newcastle — and the debts they suffer as the contracts slowly ebb away at their lives.
Diego Maradona, dir. Asif Kapadia
The classic question: ‘Who would play you in a film about your life?’ is a tricky one. But ask us: ‘Who would direct a documentary about your life?’ and we’d reply immediately. The answer? Asif Kapadia.
The Oscar-winning director is responsible for bringing the late Ayrton Senna and Amy Winehouse’s astonishing stories to life on the big screen, and his third crack of the celluloid whip sees him turn the cameras on the life of sporting history’s most divisive figure; Diego Maradona.
Rocketman, dir. Dexter Fletcher
Speaking of directors with talents for biopics, Dexter Fletcher is making a real name for himself in British cinema. Carving out a niche as the go-to guy for 70s pop icons, Fletcher — hot off the success of Bohemian Rhapsody — has turned his flare to the flares of Elton John.
Rhapsody was criticised for ‘playing it safe’ with a ‘sanitised’ depiction of Freddie Mercury’s escapades, but early reviews and interviews suggest Elton John’s life has been brought to life with startling honesty and starkness. Look our for Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin and Richard Madden as Elton’s manager John Reid.
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