The 67th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 14 to 25 May 2014.
2014 Cannes Film Festival Lineup
OPENER
Grace of Monaco (Olivier Dahan, France-US-Belgium-Italy) Nicole Kidman stars as Grace Kelly in Dahan’s 1960s-set biopic, which is kicking off the festival out of competition.
COMPETITION
The Captive (Atom Egoyan, Canada) Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Rosario Dawson star in this abduction thriller. Atom Egoyan’s sixth competition entry; the Canadian helmer won the Grand Prix for 1997’s The Sweet Hereafter.
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas, France-Switzerland-Germany) IFC has Stateside rights to this English-language picture about an actress who withdraws to the Swiss town of the title, starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz. Olivier Assayas was previously in competition with Clean, Demonlover and Les Destinees sentimentales, but has yet to win a Cannes prize.
Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, US) Once slated to open last year’s AFI Film Festival before being pushed to 2014, this third feature from the highly regarded director of Capote and Moneyball is an account of the murder of Olympic wrestling champion Dave Schultz.
Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland). Jean-Luc Godard will make his seventh appearance in competition. His latest offering will be presented in 3D.
The Homesman (Tommy Lee Jones, U.S.) Set around his period Western is Tommy Lee Jones’ first helming effort since his 2005 debut.
Jimmy’s Hall (Ken Loach, UK-Ireland-France) A drama about Irish communist leader James Gralton.It marks Ken Loach’s 12th time in competition. He won the Palme d’Or in 2006 for The Wind That Shakes the Barley and recently received a jury prize for 2012’s The Angels’ Share.
Leviathan (Andrei Zvyagintsev, Russia) A multi-character fusion of social drama and sci-fi set in a new country. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s fourth feature marks his first return to the Cannes competition since 2007’s The Banishment.
Le Meraviglie (Alice Rohrwacher, Italy-Switzerland-Germany) One of two female directors in competition this year. Italian writer-director Alice Rohrwacher delivers her second feature after her 2011 Directors’ Fortnight entry, Corpo Celeste. It’s the story of a 14-year-old girl in the Umbrian countryside whose secluded life is shattered by the arrival of a young German ex-con.
Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg, Canada-US-France-Germany) This satire of the entertainment industry will be David Cronenberg’s fifth film to screen in competition at Cannes and his second consecutive collaboration with star Robert Pattinson. It could also be his first film to win the Palme d’Or.
Mommy (Xavier Dolan, France-Canada) One of the younger directors to crack the competition (at age 25), the Quebecois helmer scooped up multiple Critics’ Week prizes for his 2009 debut, I Killed My Mother, and entered Un Certain Regard with Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways.
Mr. Turner (Mike Leigh, U.K.) A four-time veteran of the Cannes competition who won the Palme d’Or for 1996’s Secrets & Lies, the British master will return to the festival with this portrait of the 19th-century painter J.M.W. Turner, starring Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. Sony Classics is distributing in the US.
Saint Laurent (Bertrand Bonello, France) The film stars Gaspard Ulliel, Louis Garrel and Lea Seydoux. The helmer was previously in competition with 2011’s House of Pleasures (then titled House of Tolerance) and 2003’s Tiresia.
The Search (Michel Hazanavicius, France) Berenice Bejo and Annette Bening topline this drama centered around the bond between an NGO worker and a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.
Still the Water (Naomi Kawase, Japan). Naomi Kawase won the Grand Prix for 2007’s The Mourning Forest and received the Camera d’Or for her 1997 debut, Suzaku. Her latest film is set on the Japanese island of Amami-Oshima and centers on a young couple trying to solve a mysterious death.
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, France). The Mauritanian-born, Mali-raised director, who was previously at Cannes with 2006’s Bamako, tells the story of a young couple who were stoned to death in northern Mali for the crime of “not being married before God”.
Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium). Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione and Olivier Gourmet star in this story of a young woman trying to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so she can keep her job. Already acquired by Sundance Selects for the US, it will be the Belgian brothers’ sixth film to compete at Cannes; they have won the Palme d’Or twice, for 1999’s Rosetta and 2005’s L’Enfant.
Wild Tales (Damian Szifron, Argentina-Spain) Pedro Almodovar is one of the producers of this series of comic sketches from Argentinean writer-director Szifron, making his first appearance at Cannes.
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey-Germany-France) This three-hour-plus drama is set in the titular landscape of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s previous film (and 2011 Cannes Grand Prix winner), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. The rigorous Turkish auteur also won the festival’s directing prize for 2008’s Three Monkeys and the Grand Prix for 2002’s Distant.
OUT OF COMPETITION
Coming Home (Zhang Yimou, China). Zhang Yimou’s 12th collaboration with Gong Li (star of his Cannes competition entries Ju Dou, To Live and Shanghai Triad) is a romantic drama set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois, US). This Fox-distributed sequel to 2010’s smash hit How to Train Your Dragon follows in a long line of DreamWorks toons that have bowed on the Croisette, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Kung Fu Panda and last year’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
UN CERTAIN REGARD
OPENER: Party Girl (Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, France) This directorial debut for all three co-helmers tells the story of a 60-year-old nightclub hostess who finally decides to settle down by marrying a member of her clientele.
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner, Austria-Luxembourg-Germany). This follow-up to Jesica Hausner’s acclaimed 2009 drama Lourdes is “a parable about the ambivalence of love” inspired by the suicide pact of the 19th-century poet Heinrich von Kleist and his friend Henriette Vogel.
Away From His Absence (Keren Yedaya). This is the third feature from Israeli helmer Keren Yedaya, who was previously at Cannes with 2009’s Jewish-Arab love story Jaffa and her 2004 Camera d’Or winner, Or (My Treasure).
Bird People (Pascale Ferran, France). Pascale Ferran’s first film since her acclaimed Lady Chatterley is a relationship drama with a supernatural element, starring Josh Charles and Anais Demoustier.
The Blue Room (Mathieu Amalric, France). The French actor-helmer, who won a directing prize for 2010’s On Tour, stars along with Lea Drucker in this adaptation of a 1964 Georges Simenon novel.
Charlie’s Country (Rolf de Heer, Australia). This third collaboration between Rolf de Heer and actor David Gulpilil extends the director’s commitment to exploring Australian Aboriginal culture. It world premiered at the recent Adelaide Film Festival.
Eleanor Rigby (Ned Benson, US). Previously a two-part, 191-minute drama titled The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, this Weinstein Co. release starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy chronicles the dissolution of a marriage.
Fantasia (Wang Chao) The Chinese writer-director was previously in Cannes with his 2006 Un Certain Regard prizewinner, Luxury Car.
Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund). Formerly titled Tourist, Ruben Ostlund’s fourth feature was shot at a ski resort in France. The Swedish helmer was previously at Cannes with 2011’s “Play” and 2008’s “Involuntary.” (Sales: Coproduction Office)
A Girl at My Door (July Jung, South Korea) Produced by Cannes competition favorite Lee Chang-dong, Jung’s debut feature centers around a young woman being abused by her stepfather. (Sales: CJ E&M Corp.)
Hermosa juventud (Jaime Rosales) The Barcelona-born director was previously in Un Certain Regard with 2007’s Solitary Fragments.
Incompresa (Asia Argento, Italy-France). AsiaArgento has been a fixture of the festival as a director (2004’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things) and an actress (Boarding Gate, The Last Mistress, Go Go Tales, Dracula 3D). Her latest helming effort, which features Charlotte Gainsbourg, takes its title from that of Luigi Comencini’s Incompreso (Misunderstood).
Lost River (Ryan Gosling, US) Until now known under the title How to Catch a Monster, Ryan Gosling’s writing-directing debut, which was acquired last year by Warner Bros. for US distribution, is a Detroit-shot fantasy-drama starring Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes.
Run (Philippe Lacote, France-Ivory Coast). Ivory Coast native Philippe Lacote shines a light on his country’s violent history with this drama about a runaway who has just killed the prime minister of his homeland.
Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, France-Italy-Brazil). Wim Wenders’ latest documentary is a portrait of the photographer Sebastiao Salgado (father of co-helmer Juliano Ribeiro Salgado), focusing on his eight-year Genesis project.
Snow in Paradise (Andrew Hulme, UK). The film tells the story of a petty criminal in London’s East End who seeks redemption through Islam.
Titli (Kanu Behl, India). A rare independent feature financed by Bollywood powerhouse Yash Raj Films, Kanu Behl’s debut film follows a young man in Delhi trying to escape the oppression of his brothers.
Untitled (Lisandro Alonso, Denmark-U.S.-Argentina). Viggo Mortensen stars in this drama about a father and daughter journeying from Denmark to an unknown desert. It’s the Argentine auteur’s first feature since his 2008 Directors’ Fortnight entry, Liverpool.
Xenia (Panos Koutras, Greece-France-Belgium) Two brothers head to Thessaloniki to look for the father they’ve never met in this dark portrait of contemporary Greek society.
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
The Rover (David Michod, Australia). David Michod’s follow-up to Animal Kingdom stars Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy in a violent thriller set against the Australian outback.
The Salvation (Kristian Levring, Denmark)
The Target (Yoon Hong-seung, South Korea): A remake of French director Fred Cavaye’s actioner Point Blank.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Bridges of Sarajevo (Aida Begic, Isild le Besco, Leonardo di Constanzo, Jean-Luc Godard, Kamen Kalev, Sergei Loznitsa, Vincenzo Marra, Ursula Meier, Vladimir Perisic, Cristi Puiu, Marc Recha, Angela Schanelec, Teresa Villaverde) This omnibus work will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WWI. Jean-Luc Godard and Sergei Loznitsa, both of whom contribute shorts here, have features elsewhere in the official selection.
Caricaturistes: Fantassins de la democratie (Stephanie Valloatto, France) A documentary about 12 newspaper cartoonists from around the world.
Maidan (Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine). A documentary on the protests in the Ukrainian capital’s central square.
Red Army (Gabe Polsky) A hybrid political-sports documentary that examines Russian hockey culture during the Cold War, directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Gabe Polsky.
Silvered Water (Mohammed Oussama and Wiam Bedirxan, Syria-France) A portrait of violence in modern-day Syria as filmed by multiple video activists in the besieged city of Homs, tied together by Oussama, who is currently exiled in Paris.
CELEBRATION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF LE MONDE
Les Gens du Monde (Yves Jeuland, France). Yves Jeuland’s latest documentary pays tribute to the French newspaper’s seven-decade history.
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