2020 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection Announced
Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Francis Lee’s “Ammonite,” an Official Selection title of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
Originally scheduled for May 12-23, the Cannes Film Festival was forced to cancel this year’s international film festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the physical event was canceled, the festival announced, today, the official lineup as it would have existed. As part of plans to still acknowledge the choices for this year’s festival, each film will participate in festivals throughout the remainder of the year with a special Cannes branding attached at the beginning of each film’s screenings.
Festivals that plan to showcase Cannes titles include the Venice and Toronto film festivals.
The only other time the Cannes Film Festival was canceled, since it first took place, was in 1939. The festival was also interrupted in 1968, resulting in an early end to the festival. As referenced in the festival’s official news release, consideration was given to reserve selected films for the 2021 celebration, but that isn’t realistic, in terms of studio release schedules and the films that will be available next year.
For the first time, more than 2,000 films were submitted for consideration for 2020’s festival. A total of 56 films were selected as “Official Selection” titles. Several of these films would have screened In Competition at the festival and been considered for the festival’s Palme d’Or prize. Others would have screened Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition (traditionally includes the opening night film), Special Screenings, and Midnight Screenings. In total, the films submitted came from 147 countries. 532 of the submitted films were directed by female directors.
Of the films selected, 15 are from first-time feature directors; the largest crop of first-time directors In Competition in the festival’s history. 16 of the films are by female directors. The festival has increased its promise to be more inclusive in its selections.
Some of the titles included in the list were expected to make the cut, most notably Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.” Two episodes of Steve McQueen’s upcoming television series, “Small Axe,” were also selected. Saoirse Ronan would have graced the red carpet for two titles: the aforementioned “The French Dispatch” and Francis Lee’s “Ammonite.” And, in addition to Disney’s “Soul,” Studio Ghibli is included in the list with its first-ever CG-animated film, “Aya and the Witch.”
Last year’s Palme d’Or winner, “Parasite,” became an international hit before earning the Academy Award for Best Picture earlier this year.
OFFICIAL SELECTION:
9 DAYS AT RAQQA
Dir. Xavier de Lauzanne
16 PRINTEMPS
Dir. Suzanne Lindon
ADN
Dir. Maïwenn
AMMONITE
Dir. Francis Lee
AYA AND THE WITCH
Dir. Goro Miyazaki
BROKEN KEYS
Dir. Jimmy Keyrouz
CASA DE ANTIGUIDADES
Dir. João Paulo Miranda Maria
CEVENNES
Dir. Caroline Vignal
DES HOMMES
Dir. Lucas Belvaux
LE DISCOURS
Dir. Laurent Tirard
(DRUK) ANOTHER ROUND
Dir. Thomas Vinterberg
EIGHT AND A HALF
Dir. Ann Hui, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Ringo Lam, Patrick Tam, Johnnie To, Hark Tsui, John Woo, Woo-Ping Yuen
ENFANT TERRIBLE
Dir. Oskar Roehler
FALLING
Dir. Viggo Mortensen
FLEE
Dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
Dir. Wes Anderson
FRENCH TENCH
Dir. Bruno Podalydes
GAGARINE
Dir. Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh
GARCON CHIFFON
Dir. Nicolas Maury
GOOD MAN
Dir. Marie-Castille Mention Schaar
HEAVEN
Dir. Im Sang-soo
HERE WE ARE
Dir. Nir Bergman
IBRAHIM
Dir. Samuel Gueismi
JOHN AND THE HOLE
Dir. Pascual Sisto
L’ORIGINE DU MONDE
Dir. Laurent Lafitte
LAST WORDS
Dir. Jonathan Nossiter
LIMBO
Dir. Ben Sharrock
LOVER’S ROCK
Dir. Steve McQueen
MANGROVE
Dir. Steve McQueen
UN MEDECIN DE NUIT
Dir. Elie Wajeman
NADIA, BUTTERFLY
Dir. Pascal Plante
ON THE WAY TO THE BILLION
Dir. Dieudo Hamadi
PASSION SIMPLE
Dir. Danielle Arbid
PENINSULA
Dir. Sang-ho Yeon
PLEASURE
Dir. Ninja Thyberg
ROGUE
Dir. Farid Bentoumi
SI LE VENT TOMBE
Dir. Nora Martirosyan
SLALOM
Dir. Charlene Favier
SOUL
Dir. Pete Doctor
SUMMER OF ‘85
Dir. Francois Ozon
SWEAT
Dir. Magnus von Horn
TEDDY
Dir. Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma
THE THINGS WE SAY, THE THINGS WE DO
Dir. Emmanuel Mouret
UN TRIOMPHE
Dir. Emmanuel Courcol
TRUE MOTHERS
Dir. Naomi Kawase
TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Dir. Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck
VAURIEN
Dir. Peter Dourountzis
In the close of the festival’s release, it’s noted that this year would have celebrated the centenary of director Federico Fellini. The release closes with the famed Fellini quote: “Viva il cinema!”
