Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his film Winter Sleep.
Timothy Spall was named best actor for his portrayal of the British artist JMW Turner in Mr. Turner.
Winter Sleep, a domestic drama telling the story of a family running a hotel in the snowy Turkish mountains, beat 17 other contenders to the top prize.
Winter Sleep has won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival
Nuri Bilge Ceylan dedicated the award to “the young people in Turkey and those who lost their lives in the last year”.
Mr. Turner, directed by Mike Leigh, had been tipped for an award after being lauded by the critics at Cannes.
Timothy Spall has said he was ideally cast to play the artist because “he was a funny-looking, fat little man and so am I”.
The best actress award went to Julianne Moore in David Cronenberg’s Hollywood satire Maps to the Stars.
Leviathan, a Russian film about corruption, was named best screenplay, while Bennett Miller won the award for best director for his wrestling drama Foxcatcher.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who noted that his award came on the 100th anniversary of Turkish cinema, had previously won awards at Cannes for his films Uzak, Climates, Three Monkeys and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.
Winter Sleep, which runs for more than three hours, stars Haluk Bilginer as a wealthy retired actor living with his younger wife and his recently-divorced sister.
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Cannes Film Festival president Gilles Jacob has played down a backlash in Iran after he kissed Iranian actress Leila Hatami on the cheek.
Leila Hatami is one of five women members on the Palme d’Or prize jury, which includes actress Carole Bouquet and directors Sofia Coppola and jury president Jane Campion.
Gilles Jacob said it was “a usual custom in the West” after Iranian media claimed it was an affront to the “chastity” of women in Iran.
“I kissed Mrs. Hatami on the cheek,” Gilles Jacob tweeted.
Cannes Film Festival president Gilles Jacob has played down a backlash in Iran after he kissed Iranian actress Leila Hatami on the cheek (photo Canal+)
“At that moment, for me she represented all Iranian cinema, then she became herself again.”
“The controversy over a usual custom in the West has therefore no reason to be,” he added.
However, Iranian deputy minister of culture, Hoseyn Nushabadi, said that Leila Hatami’s appearance in Cannes was “in violation of religious beliefs”.
Born into a family with a film background, Leila Hatami gained worldwide recognition for her role in Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation, which won the 2012 Academy Award for best foreign language film.
Leila Hatami still lives in Iran with her husband, actor Ali Mosaffa.
The conservative Young Journalists’ Club, operated by Iran’s state broadcaster, wrote that “extending her [Leila Hatami’s] hand to Jacob was unconventional and improper behavior”.
Leila Hatami was wearing a scarf around her head but her neck was uncovered. Both her dress and the kiss are unacceptable in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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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.
The 67th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 14 to 25 May 2014
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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Grace of Monaco – the Grace Kelly biopic which stars Nicole Kidman – has been chosen to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Early reviews of Grace of Monaco have slammed the film, with one describing it as “a timeless camp classic”.
Set in the 1960s, Olivier Dahan’s film focuses on the early years of Grace Kelly’s years as a princess when she was tempted to return to Hollywood by an offer from Alfred Hitchcock.
Grace of Monaco has been chosen to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival
Tim Roth plays her husband, Prince Rainier III, with Robert Lindsay, Spain’s Paz Vega and Derek Jacobi filling other roles.
The film has been criticized by the royal family of Monaco, with Princess Stephanie of Monaco saying the film about her parents as inaccurate.
According to reports, Olivier Dahan also clashed over the final cut with the Weinstein Co, which is distributing the film in North America.
There are 18 films in competition for the top prize, the Palme d’Or, which will be handed out along with other prizes on May 24.
British hopes for the prize are led by directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh.
Animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 will screen out of competition.
This year’s Un Certain Regard section of the competition will feature the directorial debut of Hollywood star Ryan Gosling.
Christina Hendricks and Matt Smith are among the cast of Ryan Gosling’s Lost River, a dark fantasy formerly known as How to Catch a Monster.
Cannes Film Festival will close with a 50th anniversary screening of a restored print of Sergio Leone’s 1964 spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars, hosted by director Quentin Tarantino.
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Welcome to New York movie starring Gerard Depardieu as a disgraced politician based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival.
The controversial movie has been much-anticipated but will not be shown as part of the official festival program.
Instead, Welcome to New York will be shown at midnight on Friday at a private beach screening.
Welcome to New York tells of how a French politician is accused of attempted rape in a New York hotel room.
Welcome to New York movie starring Gerard Depardieu as a disgraced politician based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival
DSK quit his role as boss of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after being accused of a sex attack on a maid in a Manhattan hotel. Once seen as a French presidential hopeful, Socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn also had to give up his political ambitions.
Charges were eventually dropped and DSK subsequently reached a settlement with the maid. Two other cases against him were also dismissed.
The two-hour film, in which Gerard Depardieu plays a character called Deveraux, was funded mostly in the US and the director Abel Ferrara is also American.
As such, the French-language production counts as being American.
Welcome to New York will be released in cinemas in countries outside France, but in France it is being made available, at least initially, on pay-to-view websites.
“We realized it was the perfect film to experiment with this type of release,” producer Vincent Maraval told Variety magazine.
“We’ll get to target the widest possible audiences at a faster pace, with a smaller investment… and preserve some kind of curiosity around the movie before the press starts unveiling what’s in it.”
In the same interview, Vincent Maraval also criticized the French political, TV and movie establishment, saying: “No French TV station wanted to finance us.
“Everyone warned us not to make this film, both our friends and our enemies.”
Vincent Maraval told Variety there was an “incestuous relationship” between the “media and political elites” in France, which made it impossible to make films about “current affairs”.
Gerard Depardieu put some of his own money into the film and took a low fee of 100,000 euros.
The politician’s wife is played by English actress Jacqueline Bisset.
Welcome to New York tells the story of how a French economics professor becomes a politician backed by his wife’s millions, rises to fame and prosperity only to be brought down by accusations of rape.
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