This week on Rialto Channel catch award-winning and critically-acclaimed feature films that have screened in competition at Cannes recently.

The Festival de Cannes kicks off on the 13^th and all the talk is about, would you believe, selfies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux has requested an unofficial selfie ban on the red carpet saying, "We don't want to prohibit it, but we want to slow down the process of selfies on the steps." Clearly an attempt to avoid a bottleneck on the stairs of the Cannes red carpet, he hammered home his thoughts on this form of amateur photography by saying “You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie.” From personal experience, I can only agree.

Here are the top five must see films of the week.

This week on Rialto Channel catch award-winning and critically-acclaimed feature films that have screened in competition at Cannes recently.

The Festival de Cannes kicks off on the 13^th and all the talk is about, would you believe, selfies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cannes Festival director Thierry Fremaux has requested an unofficial selfie ban on the red carpet saying, "We don't want to prohibit it, but we want to slow down the process of selfies on the steps." Clearly an attempt to avoid a bottleneck on the stairs of the Cannes red carpet, he hammered home his thoughts on this form of amateur photography by saying “You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie.” From personal experience, I can only agree.

Here are the top five must see films of the week.

Wednesday 13^th May, 8.30pm… Ilo Ilo

Ilo Ilo is the debut feature film from Singaporean writer–director Anthony Chen. A domestic drama set during the financial crisis on 1997, this semi-autobiographical film tells the story of the Lim family. With two parents stressed out at work, and a son with the worst disciplinary record at school, the Lim’s decide to get a maid. At first Jiale is cruel to the new maid, but over time the two forge a bond that makes Jiale’s pregnant mother jealous. However, with money problems looming, it’s not long before life in the Lim family changes once again. A beautifully detailed, moving and simply shot film, it’s easy to see why it’s become the darling of film festivals around the world.

Thursday 14^th May, 8.30pm…Bully

Every mother should watch this heartbreaking documentary about the painful consequences of bullying in American schools. Award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsh talks to families who have been affected by bullying, and follows the growing movement across American to change the way bullying is dealt with. On it’s release, the film hit the headlines because the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave the film an R rating preventing its target audience from being able to watch the film. The rating was due to expletives used by some of the children in the film, and their inclusion meant that unaccompanied kids and teenagers would not be able to see the film, and schools would be unable to show it. Hirsh could have edited out the language, but felt more strongly about expressing these stories in their purest, most honest form than catering to the MPAA. Finally, the MPAA lowered the rating to PG-13 making this powerful reminder of the devastating effect of bullying and just how vulnerable our kids can be, accessible to those who need to see it most.

Friday 15^th May, 8.30pm… Omar

This terrific film tells the story of a young Palestine baker and budding freedom fighter called Omar (Adam Bakri) who is captured by the Israeli military and tricked into becoming an informant. Omar was nominated for best foreign language film at the 2014 Oscar’s (the first time a film had been registered simply under ‘Palestine’) and won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Festival du Cannes. Director Hany Abu-Assad wrote the film after his first Hollywood film The Courier went straight to video. Devastated by this failure, Abu-Assad sat down and wrote the structure of Omar in one night, the story itself inspired by his own experiences making 2005’s Paradise Now when he became paranoid there was a spy on set. Taking on the role of Rami, the Israeli agent who tries to turn Omar, is American-Arab actor Waleed Zuaiter (The Men Who Stare at Goats). So enthralled was Zuaiter with the script, he took it upon himself to find the $2 million funding for this low budget film. Apart from small contributions from Enjaaz and the Dubai International Film Festival, Omar is the first film entirely funded by Palestinians, something its cast and crew are very proud of.

Saturday 16^th May, 8.30pm…The Great Beauty

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino is a regular Cannes Film Festival attendee, and in 2013 he presented his ode to Italian filmmaking, The Great Beauty. The film stars Toni Servillo as a journalist and socialite who after turning 65 begins to reflect on his life and career. Inspired by other Italian filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Sorrentino’s film is filled with sumptuous images that capture Rome and it’s inhabitants in all it’s glory – both reality and fantastical. The Great Beauty went on from Cannes to win a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a nomination for the Academy Award for best foreign film and is definitely one of the highlights in Rialto Channel’s Cannes month lineup.

Sunday 17^th May, 8.30pm… Locke

I think I have a little bit of a crush on Tom Hardy. With an ear for accents and an eye for a good script (OK, This Means War excluded) Hardy is one of those actors that leaves us with the memory of a character, not an actor playing a character. In Locke, Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a concrete specialist on the eve of the biggest pour of his life, who leaves his work and family to travel to London to face up to a mistake he’s made. Throughout the almost two hour journey, he’s on the phone trying to sort out the many messes he’s leaving behind, and has conversations with himself about his predicament. It’s a gripping, mesmerising performance aided by an excellently weighted script by screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises, Amazing Grace) who also takes on directing duties. You think you’re having a bad week – Ivan Locke should put it into perspective for you.