2018 Cannes Film Festival
The 71st annual Cannes Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 May 2018.[2] Australian actress Cate Blanchett acted as president of the jury.[3] The Japanese film Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, won the Palme d'Or.[4]
Opening film
Asghar Farhadi's psychological thriller Everybody Knows, starring Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Ricardo Darín, opened the festival and competed in the Main Competition section. It was the second Spanish-language film to open Cannes, following Pedro Almodóvar's Bad Education, which screened on the opening night of the 2004 festival.[5]
The official festival poster features Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina from Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 film Pierrot le Fou. It is the second time the festival poster was inspired by Godard's film after his 1963 film Contempt at the 2016 festival. According to festival's official statement, the poster is inspired by and paid tribute to the work of French photographer Georges Pierre.[1]
Parallel sections[edit]
Critics' Week[edit]
The following films were selected for the Critics' Week section:[23][24]
Controversies[edit]
Netflix films[edit]
A ban on Netflix films in competition, which came about after the streaming giant refused to show them in French cinemas, has meant the issues of streaming and distribution have also been hot topics. The issue prompted Juror Ava DuVernay, who made 13th for Netflix, to make a plea for "flexibility of thought".[27]
In March and April 2018, weeks before general delegate Thierry Frémaux was set to unveil the official selection, reports suggested streaming service Netflix was to pull its already-selected films from premiering at the festival in retaliation for the barring of Netflix films from competing.[28][29] They were still allowed to premiere in other sections, and many reportedly opted for an Out of Competition berth. The films affected were Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Morgan Neville's They'll Love Me When I'm Dead, Orson Welles' final film The Other Side of the Wind, Paul Greengrass' Norway, and Jeremy Saulnier's Hold the Dark.
Ultimately, Netflix pulled all of their films from selection.[30] Notably, in the press conference announcement, Frémaux commented that he wanted The Other Side of the Wind and had planned to screen it as a special screening with the Welles-related documentary They'll Love Me When I'm Dead.[31][32] He also noted that he had selected Roma for competition.
Lars Von Trier[edit]
Danish film director Lars von Trier returned to Cannes with his film The House That Jack Built, after he was declared "persona non grata" at the 2011 festival.[33]
Gender equality[edit]
The chair of the jury Cate Blanchett has called for gender parity at the Cannes Film Festival, calling it "almost a gladiatorial sport". However, she concedes that there has been improvements and the change "won't happen overnight".[27]
During the festival, 82 female film professionals, led by Jury president Cate Blanchett and veteran director Agnès Varda, took part to a demonstration on the red carpet, demanding more equality between men and women in the film industry, notably the end of the pay gap.[34]
The festival launched a sexual harassment hotline in partnership with France’s Ministry of Gender Equality where victims of harassment and abuse could receive support and guidance by calling a dedicated number.[35][36]