Few periods on the calendar mean more to cinephiles than the two weekends in May occupied by the Cannes Film Festival. Since its founding in 1946, the French festival has been a launchpad for some of the most artistically significant films of all time. The Palme d’Or is one of the most coveted film awards on the planet, and the festival’s ability to balance subversive arthouse work with major Hollywood premieres has led many to view it as the world’s most significant celebration of cinema.
The 2024 lineup featured a mix of buzzy premieres from New Hollywood titans like Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Schrader alongside exciting new works from emerging directors. Between the Main Competition, Un Certain Regard, special screenings, and sidebars like the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week, the onslaught of new films can be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t able to give the festival their 24/7 attention.
The 2024 lineup featured a mix of buzzy premieres from New Hollywood titans like Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Schrader alongside exciting new works from emerging directors. Between the Main Competition, Un Certain Regard, special screenings, and sidebars like the Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week, the onslaught of new films can be overwhelming for anyone who isn’t able to give the festival their 24/7 attention.
- 5/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
It’s been 30 years since a film from India has been selected in the main competition at Cannes, but that finally changed this year.
Recent editions of Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto have included riveting and even Oscar-nominated documentaries and features. In fact, Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” won the Golden Lion at Venice more than two decades ago. Granted, Cannes has recently programmed South Asian gems in other sections, such as the Queer Palm-winning “Joyland” from Pakistan in Un Certain Regard in 2022, or Anurag Kashyap’s “Kennedy” in Midnight last year. But would the South Asian drought in the main competition ever end?
Many were ecstatic last month when “All We Imagine as Light”, Mumbai-based Payal Kapadia’s narrative directorial debut, was announced in the competition lineup alongside legendary Cannes regulars: European heavyweights such as Jacques Audiard and Yorgos Lanthimos, American auteurs David Cronenberg and Paul Schrader, and Asian visionary Jia Zhangke.
Recent editions of Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto have included riveting and even Oscar-nominated documentaries and features. In fact, Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” won the Golden Lion at Venice more than two decades ago. Granted, Cannes has recently programmed South Asian gems in other sections, such as the Queer Palm-winning “Joyland” from Pakistan in Un Certain Regard in 2022, or Anurag Kashyap’s “Kennedy” in Midnight last year. But would the South Asian drought in the main competition ever end?
Many were ecstatic last month when “All We Imagine as Light”, Mumbai-based Payal Kapadia’s narrative directorial debut, was announced in the competition lineup alongside legendary Cannes regulars: European heavyweights such as Jacques Audiard and Yorgos Lanthimos, American auteurs David Cronenberg and Paul Schrader, and Asian visionary Jia Zhangke.
- 5/23/2024
- by Ritesh Mehta
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Following a buzzy debut this week at the Cannes Film Festival, Parisian-based filmmaker Julien Colonna’s debut feature The Kingdom has been picked up by Metrograph Pictures, who will release the film in North America.
The Kingdom screened in the festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar and has been widely touted on the ground in Cannes as a surprising festival standout. Metrograph Pictures has said it will distribute the film theatrically, with additional release details to be announced later.
Set over one sweltering summer on the French island of Corsica, The Kingdom follows a Corsican mob family on the run. The central character is Lesia (Ghjuvanna Benedetti), a teenager who reconnects with her father, Pierre-Paul, a local mob boss in hiding. As Pierre-Paul’s crimes catch up with him, the two go on the run from both mobsters and the police, forging an increasingly close-knit bond that will ultimately...
The Kingdom screened in the festival’s Un Certain Regard sidebar and has been widely touted on the ground in Cannes as a surprising festival standout. Metrograph Pictures has said it will distribute the film theatrically, with additional release details to be announced later.
Set over one sweltering summer on the French island of Corsica, The Kingdom follows a Corsican mob family on the run. The central character is Lesia (Ghjuvanna Benedetti), a teenager who reconnects with her father, Pierre-Paul, a local mob boss in hiding. As Pierre-Paul’s crimes catch up with him, the two go on the run from both mobsters and the police, forging an increasingly close-knit bond that will ultimately...
- 5/21/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Metrograph Pictures has acquired North American rights to Sandhya Suri’s Cannes standout “Santosh” following its world premiere in Un Certain Regard.
Metrograph Pictures will distribute the film theatrically, with additional release details to be announced at a later date. MK2 Films represents the movie in international markets.
“Santosh” marks the narrative feature debut of Suri, whose breakout documentary “I For India” competed at Sundance. Her short film “The Field” was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Short Film in 2019, and won Best International Short at Toronto in 2018.
“Santosh” received strong reviews following its Cannes premiere, with Variety called it a “whip-smart film” that “speaks the language of a fiercely feminist empowerment saga”.
The film follows Santosh (Shahana Goswami), a recent widow who, under a government scheme, inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is murdered, she...
Metrograph Pictures will distribute the film theatrically, with additional release details to be announced at a later date. MK2 Films represents the movie in international markets.
“Santosh” marks the narrative feature debut of Suri, whose breakout documentary “I For India” competed at Sundance. Her short film “The Field” was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Short Film in 2019, and won Best International Short at Toronto in 2018.
“Santosh” received strong reviews following its Cannes premiere, with Variety called it a “whip-smart film” that “speaks the language of a fiercely feminist empowerment saga”.
The film follows Santosh (Shahana Goswami), a recent widow who, under a government scheme, inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is murdered, she...
- 5/20/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Movies don’t always need to have a message. Themes are inherent to storytelling, but there are plenty of movies that can simply coast on vibes and star power, or which undermine their own messaging when it gets heavy-handed and preachy. The films that often get audiences really thinking are the ones that cushion that messaging in a mesmerizing story, which don’t tell you what to think but what to think about. Writer and director Sandhya Suri’s debut feature, “Santosh,” premiering at Cannes, is one such film.
“Santosh” is named after its lead character, Santosh Saini — a young widow unaccustomed to working but is now forced to by necessity, who inherits her husband’s profession due to a bizarre legal loophole (a real clause known as “appointment on compassionate ground”). Overnight, Santosh finds herself thrust into the local police force, where a murder investigation becomes a crash course...
“Santosh” is named after its lead character, Santosh Saini — a young widow unaccustomed to working but is now forced to by necessity, who inherits her husband’s profession due to a bizarre legal loophole (a real clause known as “appointment on compassionate ground”). Overnight, Santosh finds herself thrust into the local police force, where a murder investigation becomes a crash course...
- 5/20/2024
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
While often more intellectually stimulating than emotionally engaging, “Santosh” lays bare the dark heart of communal divisions in modern India. Sandhya Suri’s narrative debut follows a driven young Hindu widow who inherits her husband’s job as police constable thanks to a government scheme. While the movie speaks the language of a fiercely feminist empowerment saga, it also zeroes in on what power actually means in a highly stratified society when a murky crime leads to the incendiary unfurling of dimensions of religion and caste.
“Santosh” is tethered to the perspective of its titular character. Actor Shahana Goswami embodies Santosh’s grief with striking resilience as she navigates a labyrinth of institutionalized misogyny and post-mortem red tape, but the movie is quick to put her in the khaki uniform of the Indian police. She’s rarely seen without it, and becomes a cinematic symbol in the process. “Santosh” may...
“Santosh” is tethered to the perspective of its titular character. Actor Shahana Goswami embodies Santosh’s grief with striking resilience as she navigates a labyrinth of institutionalized misogyny and post-mortem red tape, but the movie is quick to put her in the khaki uniform of the Indian police. She’s rarely seen without it, and becomes a cinematic symbol in the process. “Santosh” may...
- 5/20/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features. The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Cuckoo is a German-us co-production that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her father and his new family as...
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features. The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Cuckoo is a German-us co-production that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her father and his new family as...
- 5/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Sandhya Suri’s fiction feature debut “Santosh,” which bows in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard strand, has unveiled its first clip.
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with Tilman Singer’s horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features.
The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Opening night film Cuckoo is a German-us co-production, that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her...
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features.
The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Opening night film Cuckoo is a German-us co-production, that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her...
- 5/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
A selection of UK film funders will take to the stage at the UK pavilion at Cannes tomorrow (Sunday May 19) to explore their national and international ambitions, how they are working to empower emerging talent in a new media landscape, and their approach to creativity and risk.
Taking part is Mia Bays, director, BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund; Isabel Davis, executive director, Screen Scotland; Ursula Devine, development executive, Northern Ireland Screen’ Shanida Scotland, co-director and global head of film at Doc Society; Lee Walters, chief executive, Ffilm Cymru Wales; and Denitsa Yordanova, Head of UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds.
Taking part is Mia Bays, director, BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund; Isabel Davis, executive director, Screen Scotland; Ursula Devine, development executive, Northern Ireland Screen’ Shanida Scotland, co-director and global head of film at Doc Society; Lee Walters, chief executive, Ffilm Cymru Wales; and Denitsa Yordanova, Head of UK Global Screen Fund and International Funds.
- 5/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
The first iteration of the Cannes Film Festival, planned for 1939, was scuppered when Germany invaded Poland to trigger the start of World War II. But when the festival finally got off the ground in 1946, Indian cinema came out swinging. Mounted shortly after the conclusion of the war, the first “real” Cannes Film Festival featured competition entries from Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend), Roberto Rossellini (Open City), and David Lean (Brief Encounter). In the spirit of post-war peace and reconciliation, the competition jury, headed by French historian Georges Huisman, handed the top prize — then the Grand Prix — to films from 11 of the 18 countries represented that year.
This included India, with Chetan Anand’s social-realist drama Neecha Nagar, and, for a decade at least, the country was a regular fixture in Competition. After Anand came V. Shantaram with Amar Bhoopali (1952), then Raj Kapoor with Awaara (1953), and Bimal Roy with Do Bigha Zamin...
This included India, with Chetan Anand’s social-realist drama Neecha Nagar, and, for a decade at least, the country was a regular fixture in Competition. After Anand came V. Shantaram with Amar Bhoopali (1952), then Raj Kapoor with Awaara (1953), and Bimal Roy with Do Bigha Zamin...
- 5/18/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Mia Bays, director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, is extending her contract to October 2026, after initially taking up the post for three years.
“Change takes time, film is slow to evolve,” said Bays. “The more I thought about it at the midpoint [of the contract], the more I felt there was more for me to do. The team has changed, it’s all quite recent. You need longer to do the finessing of the evolution. I can still see some gaps. It felt like the right thing, so I proposed it, and the upper echelons of the BFI agreed.”
She does not plan...
“Change takes time, film is slow to evolve,” said Bays. “The more I thought about it at the midpoint [of the contract], the more I felt there was more for me to do. The team has changed, it’s all quite recent. You need longer to do the finessing of the evolution. I can still see some gaps. It felt like the right thing, so I proposed it, and the upper echelons of the BFI agreed.”
She does not plan...
- 5/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Mike Goodridge has been on a rare journey. Not many in the industry can boast a CV that includes running a trade publication, an international sales company, a film festival and being the producer of multiple Cannes Film Festival movies.
Goodridge, the former editor of Screen International, CEO of Protagonist, and artistic director of the Macao Film Festival, is on the Croisette this year with Un Certain Regard thriller Santosh. In the UK-Germany-France co-production by filmmaker Sandhya Suri, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh (Shahana Goswami) inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Filming begins this summer in Asia on Good Chaos/Nine Hours production for Netflix The Ballad Of A Small Player, Ed Berger’s...
Goodridge, the former editor of Screen International, CEO of Protagonist, and artistic director of the Macao Film Festival, is on the Croisette this year with Un Certain Regard thriller Santosh. In the UK-Germany-France co-production by filmmaker Sandhya Suri, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh (Shahana Goswami) inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Filming begins this summer in Asia on Good Chaos/Nine Hours production for Netflix The Ballad Of A Small Player, Ed Berger’s...
- 5/16/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Mike Goodridge’s growing UK production company Good Chaos, which is in Cannes with Un Certain Regard title Santosh, has had a minority equity investment from Cameron Lamb’s Paris-based audio platform Alexander.
The investment will give Alexander an opportunity to develop its growing non-fiction IP library, across film and TV formats, while Good Chaos has been able to grow its headcount, operations and production reach.
The companies’ first joint film project is Wife, Witch, Poisoner, Whore, a period thriller based on the Alexander audiobook by Katherine Rundell, and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.
The official synopsis reads: “Beautiful, rich, clever, and determined English noblewoman Frances Howard was a dazzling celebrity at the court of James I. But when the unhappy teenage bride rebelled against the patriarchy of her day, she was put on trial for witchcraft, infidelity and murder – very nearly at the expense of her life.”
Good Chaos is on a roll.
The investment will give Alexander an opportunity to develop its growing non-fiction IP library, across film and TV formats, while Good Chaos has been able to grow its headcount, operations and production reach.
The companies’ first joint film project is Wife, Witch, Poisoner, Whore, a period thriller based on the Alexander audiobook by Katherine Rundell, and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter.
The official synopsis reads: “Beautiful, rich, clever, and determined English noblewoman Frances Howard was a dazzling celebrity at the court of James I. But when the unhappy teenage bride rebelled against the patriarchy of her day, she was put on trial for witchcraft, infidelity and murder – very nearly at the expense of her life.”
Good Chaos is on a roll.
- 5/14/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
India’s Vibrant Presence at Cannes Film Festival 2024: A Celebration of Creativity and Collaboration
Cannes Film Festival 2024: India’s representation at the 77th Cannes Film Festival signifies a significant moment in the country’s cinematic journey. With a diverse array of initiatives and collaborations, India’s vibrant presence celebrates creativity and fosters global engagement.
The Corporate Indian Delegation, comprising representatives from the Government of India, State Governments, and industry stakeholders, will showcase India’s creative economy at the Marche du Films, the leading film market of the world. Notably, the festival will witness the debut of the “Bharat Parv,” offering a platform for eminent dignitaries and delegates to engage with India’s film industry luminaries.
At the heart of the Bharat Parv will be the unveiling of the official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival (Iffi), along with the announcement of the inaugural World Audio-Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves). These initiatives aim to showcase India’s rich creative talent and...
The Corporate Indian Delegation, comprising representatives from the Government of India, State Governments, and industry stakeholders, will showcase India’s creative economy at the Marche du Films, the leading film market of the world. Notably, the festival will witness the debut of the “Bharat Parv,” offering a platform for eminent dignitaries and delegates to engage with India’s film industry luminaries.
At the heart of the Bharat Parv will be the unveiling of the official poster and trailer of the 55th India International Film Festival (Iffi), along with the announcement of the inaugural World Audio-Visual & Entertainment Summit (Waves). These initiatives aim to showcase India’s rich creative talent and...
- 5/11/2024
- by Chesta Singh
- ReferSMS
Philippe Bober’s Coproduction Office has boarded worldwide sales of Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film ahead of its premiere at Cannes and has already closed two major deals.
The film, which is set to play in the Special Screenings section of the festival next month, has been snapped up by Bac Films for France and Lucky Red for Italy. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Set in January 2020, the story follows a film crew that reunites near Wuhan to resume shooting a film halted 10 years earlier, only to share unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
The film, which is set to play in the Special Screenings section of the festival next month, has been snapped up by Bac Films for France and Lucky Red for Italy. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Set in January 2020, the story follows a film crew that reunites near Wuhan to resume shooting a film halted 10 years earlier, only to share unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
- 4/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
Updated On April 22, 2024: With the addition of two new films to this year’s competition section, both directed by men, this year’s competition slate now includes 21 films, only four of which are directed by women. That tallies to just 19 percent of this year’s competition titles being helmed by women.
Our original story from April 11, 2024 follows.
Hot off last year’s record-breaking competition lineup — including seven films directed by women, plus an eventual Palme d’Or win for Justine Triet (only the third woman to win the festival’s top prize) — this year’s Cannes Film Festival has returned to old habits. The 77th edition will include (as of today’s announcement) just four films directed by women in the competition section, bringing representation down to 2021 levels (and returning the festival’s female-directed entries to a number that was only hit in 2011).
Among the competition titles announced today:...
Our original story from April 11, 2024 follows.
Hot off last year’s record-breaking competition lineup — including seven films directed by women, plus an eventual Palme d’Or win for Justine Triet (only the third woman to win the festival’s top prize) — this year’s Cannes Film Festival has returned to old habits. The 77th edition will include (as of today’s announcement) just four films directed by women in the competition section, bringing representation down to 2021 levels (and returning the festival’s female-directed entries to a number that was only hit in 2011).
Among the competition titles announced today:...
- 4/22/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
France’s mk2 Films has boarded Sandhya Suri’s title Santosh ahead of its premiere at Cannes in Un Certain Regard.
The Hindi-language, narrative fiction debut from UK-Indian filmmaker Suri (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023).
A newly widowed woman inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of a charismatic, feminist inspector. Zwigato and A Suitable Boy’s Shahana Goswami stars.
It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos,...
The Hindi-language, narrative fiction debut from UK-Indian filmmaker Suri (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023).
A newly widowed woman inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of a charismatic, feminist inspector. Zwigato and A Suitable Boy’s Shahana Goswami stars.
It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos,...
- 4/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Updated: The Cannes Film Festival will have an admirable UK and Irish presence in 2024, including three films from Dublin, London and Belfast-based production company Element Pictures, Andrea Arnold’s Bird in Competition and features from fresh talents Sandhya Suri and Rungano Nyoni, as well as Sister Midnight in Directors’ Fortnight.
Competition is still proving a tricky spot to land for UK or Irish directors. In 2022, none made the cut, while in 2023, UK filmmakers Ken Loach and Jonathan Glazer made it through with The Old Oak and The Zone Of Interest respectively.
This year, Arnold is flying the flag with her...
Competition is still proving a tricky spot to land for UK or Irish directors. In 2022, none made the cut, while in 2023, UK filmmakers Ken Loach and Jonathan Glazer made it through with The Old Oak and The Zone Of Interest respectively.
This year, Arnold is flying the flag with her...
- 4/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.