The 75th edition of the Cannes International Film Festival came to an end on Saturday. The 11-day long festival celebrated films from across the globe, and gave them a platform to be introduced to the international market. It also witnessed a couple of firsts.
India was the country of honour at its Marché du Film (Film Market) to mark 75 years of both the festival and the country’s independence. This was the first time that the Cannes Film Market had an official country of honour. Future editions of the festival will continue this initiative with different nations honoured each year.
The Indian delegation, led by Mininster of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, walked the red carpet on the opening day. Actor Deepika Padukone also served as an international jury member at the festival.
Other notable events at the festival included Tom Cruise being presented with a surprise honorary Palme d’Or. On the other hand, many activists and members of the film fraternity took the opportunity to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Silverscreen India brings to you seven highlights from the Cannes International Film Festival 2022.
All That Breathes wins L’OEil award for Best Documentary
Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes won the L’OEil Award for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. The recognition, however, was not presented by the festival, per se. The prize, called the Golden Eye, is a collaboration between Cannes and La Scam, a French-speaking authors’ society. A total of 18 documentary films were in competition for the title.
Sen’s film was part of the Special Screenings line-up at Cannes. The documentary follows two siblings, Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially black kites.
The jury of L’OEil said, “L’Oeil goes to a film that, in a world of destruction, reminds us that every life matters, and every small action matters. You can grab your camera, you can save a bird, you can hunt for some moments of stealing beauty, it matters. It’s an inspirational journey in observation of three Don Quijotes who may not save the whole world, but do save their own world.”
All That Breathes‘ worldwide television rights have been acquired by HBO Documentary Films.
Earlier, in January, the 90-minute film won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, a gala that promotes independent cinema and filmmakers.
Joyland becomes first film from Pakistan to win at Cannes
Saim Sadiq’s Joyland bagged two honours at the Cannes Film Festival, namely the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section that it was entered into and the Queer Palm award, an independent sponsored prize for select LGBTQIA+ films at the festival.
Featuring Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, and Sarwat Gilani, Joyland is Sadiq’s feature directorial debut. The film is set in Lahore and depicts the story of an effeminate married man who falls for a transgender woman.
Ruben Ostlund bags his second Palme d’Or with Triangle of Sadness
Triangle of Sadness is a satirical comedy that centres around a fashion model celebrity couple, who are invited on a luxury cruise with other rich people. The film was announced in back in 2017 after Ostlund’s first win at Cannes.
Song Kang-Ho becomes first Korean male actor to win Best Actor at Cannes
Song won the title for the film Broker, which revolves around two baby brokers, who steal a baby from a ‘baby box’ – a place where mothers can leave their babies anonymously if they are unable or unwilling to raise them – intending to sell the baby on the adoption black market.
The Best Actress award, meanwhile, went to Iranian actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi for her role in the film Holy Spider.
Activist strips on red carpet to protest rape of women in Ukraine
An activist stripped on the red carpet at Cannes on May 21. She had the flag of Ukraine painted across her chest, and hand prints across her back, private parts, and all over her soiled underwear. She protested against the atrocities of the Russian army in Ukraine, and the usage of rape as a weapon of war, in specific.
The action was claimed by SCUM, a French feminist organisation, and it took place ahead of the premiere of George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing.
In a statement to Jezebel, SCUM said, “We remind that the inaction of Europe and the rest of the world in the face of the pimps’ and Russian soldiers’ violence is a form of complicity. We remind that in war as in peace, no woman is for sale, no woman is for rape, no man has the right to colonize and commercialize our bodies.”
Feminists use black smoke on red carpet to protest femicide in France
A second protest took place a day later, ahead of the premiere of the feminist thriller Holy Spider.
A group of feminists dressed in black held out a long scroll as they walked up the stairs of the red carpet, and let off black smoke grenades. The scroll comprised names of women that had died in the last one year in France due to domestic violence.
Later, a spokesperson for the documentary film Riposte Feministe, which was also screened at Cannes, claimed credit for the protest.
Tom Cruise surprised with Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement
Actor Tom Cruise was honoured with a surprise Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement during the European premiere of his film Top Gun: Maverick. The cast and crew of the film was also surprised with an air patrol performance of a squadron of French fighter jets while Cruise was on the red carpet.
