The Cannes Film Festival, until 2003 called the International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world and is widely considered the most important festival in the world in terms of impact as it draws attention to and raises profiles of films contributing to the development of cinema, globally boosts the industry and celebrates film at an international level, As such, a ten-part series on the Cannes Film Festival is underway with the publishing of the History of the Cannes Film Festival – Parts I, II, III, and IV.
Following the crisis of May 18, 1968, the Cannes festival needed a breath of fresh air and the Directors Fortnight (La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) of 1969 oxygenated the release of ideological constraints, opening the way for new ideas and cinema representation propagated on May 18th.
Directors Fortnight 1969
The Fortnight, initiated by the French Directors Guild, was a major evolution for independent cinema at the Festival, providing new directors an opportunity to make their work known. This new change quickly became the talk of the town, with the audience increasing exponentially from 4,000 filmgoers in 1970 to 72,000 in 1990.
Starting in 1999 Fortnight programming was overseen by an artistic director. The current artistic director is Paolo Moretti who has programmed Director’s Fortnight since 2018.
In 1972 Robert Favre Le Bret’s successor as the Cannes Film Festival’s Delegate General, Maurice Bessy, quickly understood the importance of parallel selections. He opened the Festival up to a wide range of films, such as the Studies and Documents section, the section dedicated to news films, and the section dedicated to compilation films and news archives.
Stay tuned for the advent of new media in the 1980s decade at the Cannes Film Festival!
“10 Directors to Watch” debuted in 1996 and the annual event moved to the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2011. “10 Directors to Watch” was the first of Variety’s “10 to Watch” series spotlighting the most exciting new talents in the fields of directing, writing, producing, acting, cinematography and comedy.
This year’s “10 Directors to Watch” include:
MAREN ADE, Toni Erdmann
RITESH BATRA, The Sense of an Ending
OTTO BELL, The Eagle Huntress
JULIA DUCOURNAU, Raw
GEREMY JASPER, Patti Cake$
BARRY JENKINS, Moonlight
EMMETT & BRENDAN MALLOY, The Tribes of Palos Verdes
KLEBER MENDONÇA FILHO, Aquarius
WILLIAM OLDROYD, Lady Macbeth
DAVID SANDBERG, Lights Out
Past “10 Directors to Watch” honorees have included Ben Affleck (“Gone Baby Gone”), Wes Anderson (“Bottle Rocket”), Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”), Ava DuVernay (“Selma”), Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer”), Christopher Nolan (“Memento”), Sam Matt Ross (“Captain Fantastic), Taylor Wood (“Nowhere Boy”) and Benh Zeitlin (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”), among others.
“One of the most exciting things for me about the festival is being able to host Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch brunch,” said Michael Lerman, Artistic Director. Not only is it a fantastic event, but it also nicely compliments our festival program with selections from our Talking Pictures and Awards Buzz sections, as well as the director of our opening night film The Sense of an Ending, Ritesh Batra. It’s an exciting list this year!”
The event will be presented by Mercedes-Benz with venue partner the Parker Palm Springs.
About Variety
Variety remains the seminal voice of the entertainment industry for 111 years and counting. Featuring award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players, Variety is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded events and summits.
In 2015 Variety’s“Actors on Actors” on PBS SoCal was awarded the Emmy for best entertainment programming at the Television Academy’s 67th Los Angeles area Emmy Awards. “Actors on Actors,” which is an interview special that features pairings of prominent actors discussing their craft, was produced by PBS SoCal in partnership with Variety Media, LLC. Follow Variety on Facebook facebook.com/variety; Twitter, @variety; Instagram, @Variety; Pinterest and Snapchat. The Variety Group – Variety, Variety.com, Variety Insight, IndieWire, LA 411, NY 411 – is owned by Variety Media, LLC, a division of Penske Media Corporation.
About The Palm Springs International Film Festival
The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, annually welcoming more than 135,000 attendees for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The Festival is also known for its annual Film Awards Gala, a glamorous, black-tie event attended by 2,500 guests, presented this year by Chopard and sponsored by Mercedes Benz and Entertainment Tonight. The Film Awards Gala honors the year’s best achievements in cinema in front of and behind the camera. The celebrated list of talents who have been honored in recent years includes Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Matthew McConaughey, Julianne Moore, Brad Pitt, Eddie Redmayne, Julia Roberts, David O. Russell, Meryl Streep, and Reese Witherspoon. PSIFF is organized by The Palm Springs International Film Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization with a mission to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness.
For more information, call 760-778-8979 or 800-898-7256 or visit www.psfilmfest.org.
About Mercedes-Benz USA
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Atlanta, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse lineup in the luxury segment with 14 model lines ranging from the sporty CLA-Class four-door coupe to the flagship S-Class and the Mercedes-AMG GT S.
MBUSA is also responsible for Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart products in the U.S. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com, www.mbsprinterusa.com andwww.smartusa.com.
About Parker Palm Springs
Situated on 13 lush acres, the Parker Palm Springs is an estate where luxury is fun. Designed by Jonathan Adler, the property boasts 131 rooms, 12 villas and the 2 bedroom Gene Autry Residence. There are 4 restaurants – Norma’s (of NY fame), mister parker’s a dark and seductive French bistro, Counter Reformation a hidden wine bar and the Lemonade Stand, perfect for an afternoon bite or cocktail. The Palm Springs Yacht Club spa at over 18,000 sq. feet is well-known and a place to indulge in a treatment, take a yoga class or even lounge at the Deck. Additionally the hotel has 4 red clay tennis courts, grounds consisting of games such as croquet and petanque as well as outdoor firepits and fountains. The perfect desert escape! 4200 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264. (760) 770-5000, www.theparkerpalmsprings.com.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) has announced the hiring of Michael Lerman as Artistic Director. Currently, Lerman serves as Acting Head of Programming and Primetime Programmer for the Toronto Film Festival, which concludes its 11-day run on September 18, as well as the Artistic Director for the Philadelphia Film Society, where he has worked since 2005.
Lerman will oversee all artistic decisions for the 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival that runs from January 2-16, 2017.
“Michael Lerman is a young but very seasoned film festival veteran who brings a keen eye for identifying and curating remarkable films and filmmaker talent. He is an exemplary match for the Palm Springs International Film Festival,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “We were very impressed with his programming work at the Toronto International Film Festival and are honored to have him join our Palm Springs team.”
About The Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), will hold its Film Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Monday, January 2, 2017 hosted by Mary Hart. Considered an important stop on the Oscar campaign trail, the Film Awards Gala honors individuals in the film industry with awards for acting, directing and lifetime achievement. Honorees will be presented with either the John Kennedy “The Entertainer” statue or a Chihuly Glass Sculpture. In the past 4 years, 40 of the 44 honorees have been nominated for the Academy Awards. Amazingly, all honorees have attended for the past 14 years. The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America, welcoming 135,000 attendees last year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries.
For more information, call 760-322-2930 or 800-898-7256 or visit www.psfilmfest.org.
CAIRO – Eight square meters for 25 prisoners – American journalists, Muslim Brothers, common citizens – who were arrested by Egyptian police during violent demonstrations following the ouster of Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi in the summer of 2013 star in the opening film of the International film festival in Cairo.
These characters, detained together for a whole day, are featured in Eshtebak (Clash) by Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, that opened the section ‘Un certain regard’ at the latest Cannes Film Festival.
The movie will be presented on Friday night at the Cairo event, which runs until November 24.
It was greenlighted by censors in July and hit movie theaters. However, the film was pulled out a few days later, as denounced by the filmmaker.
And the festival’s artistic director, Youssef Rizkallah, has decided to screen other controversial movies.
Several films focusing on key issues of the 2011 revolution and 2013 protests will be screened in the section dedicated to new Egyptian cinema (eight films have been produced between 2015 and 2016).
They focus on the violence of those terrible days of Raba’a Al Adaweya – when over 600 civilians were killed and thousands wounded – as well as human and sentimental relations during those events with the uprising on the background.
One of them is Sins of the Flesh by Haram El Gasad, which is set in a remote farm in the Egyptian countryside where echoes of the uprising impact the lives of protagonists, and Out of Order by Mahmoud Kamel and Bitter Moon by Hany Khalifa. A box-office hit to be screened is also Hepta: the Last Lecture by Hadi El-Bagoury, a movie based on the best seller by the same name.
There are lighter stories that talk about sex (never explicitly), food and betrayal, like the latest work by Yousry Nasrallah, Books, Meadows and Lovely Faces, presented a few days ago at the Medfilm festival in Rome. Another is the latest movie by Mohamed Khan, Before the Summer Crowds, and Nawara by Hala Khalil focusing on social inequality in the country.
Directors to Watch brunch,” said Michael Lerman, Artistic Director. Not only is it a fantastic event, but it also nicely compliments our festival program with selections from our Talking Pictures and Awards Buzz sections, as well as the director of our opening night film The Sense of an Ending, Ritesh Batra. It’s an exciting list this year!”
