It was announced a month ago that Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby will open the Festival de Cannes on May 15th, bringing a touch of 1920s American glamour to the Riviera.
It’s not the first time Luhrmann has opened Cannes, his musical extravaganza Moulin Rouge had the same privilege in 2001. The opening night film doesn’t screen “in competition” at the Festival, which is possibly why it’s becoming common for big budget Hollywood films to get the honour. Pixar’s UP opened the festival in 2009, followed by Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood in 2010.
The publicity generated from being the opening night film can make up for missing out on an award. Woody Allen and Wes Anderson have recently used the profile to help successfully launch their films Midnight in Paris and Moonrise Kingdom.
It was announced a month ago that Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby will open the Festival de Cannes on May 15th, bringing a touch of 1920s American glamour to the Riviera.
It’s not the first time Luhrmann has opened Cannes, his musical extravaganza Moulin Rouge had the same privilege in 2001. The opening night film doesn’t screen “in competition” at the Festival, which is possibly why it’s becoming common for big budget Hollywood films to get the honour. Pixar’s UP opened the festival in 2009, followed by Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood in 2010.
The publicity generated from being the opening night film can make up for missing out on an award. Woody Allen and Wes Anderson have recently used the profile to help successfully launch their films Midnight in Paris and Moonrise Kingdom.
The situation could be a little different for The Great Gatsby. Normally, you’d open a film at the theatres after it’s enjoyed all the attention at the Festival, but at this stage The Great Gatsby is scheduled to open in American cinemas five days earlier – fingers crossed the reviews don’t ruin the fun in Cannes.
Watch the trailer for The Great Gatsby here
It’s also been announced this week that closing the festival is the first English language film from French filmmaker Jerome Salle, called Zulu. Adapted from Caryl Férey's novel (also titled Zulu) by Julien Rappeneau, the film is shot entirely on location in South Africa and stars Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom as a couple of cops investigating a crime during the apartheid era.
This year there’s a New Zealand presence at the festival with Jane Campion presiding over the Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury, a position held previously held by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Michel Gondry, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Martin Scorsese and John Boorman. Although regrettably no New Zealand short films are screening within these categories this year.
Steven Spielberg is the Jury President, and Amelie star Audrey Tauto has been announced as the host of the opening and closing festival ceremonies.
Make sure you check back tomorrow, for a full list of films screening in competition at Cannes.
The Festival de Cannes takes place 15th - 26th May, and Rialto Channel will be celebrating this glamorous and prestigious festival for the entire month