The Cannes Film Festival is getting ready to unveil their lineup but so little is known about which films will make the cut.
The Festival has already announced that Steven Spielberg will be president of the jury and "The Great Gatsby" will open the festival while Jane Campion will preside over the short film competition. Cannes is known as one of the greatest festivals and it sometimes unveils major Oscar contenders. Previously Oscar winners "The Artist," No Country For Old Men," "Amour," "The Tree of Life" and "Inglorious Basterds" have all premiered at the Festival. With so little information, rumors and predictions have surfaced the media based on which upcoming films are most anticipated.
The following are a selection of predictions based on the buzz they have been receiving and the history of the festival.
The Bling Ring-Sofia Coppola's fifth film opens this summer and is headlined by Emma Watson. Coppola has a history in the festival circuit as her directional debut "The Virgin Suicides" premiered at Cannes as well as her 2006 biopic "Marie Antoinette. She also won the Venice Film Festival with her last film "Somehwere" and premiered "Lost in Translation" at Venice. It may be a long shot but based on the recent "Spring Breakers" ("The Bling Ring" is being compared to it) which was a popular Festival hit; Cannes may want to relive the success of "Breakers."
Blood Ties- Guillame Canet is known as the George Clooney of France and while his films have not gotten major Festival attention, he has already won numerous awards for them. "Blood Ties" also has a star studded cast that includes James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Clive Owen, Zoe Saldana, and Lili Taylor. With an incredible cast and a French director, the selection committee will most likely want to bring this film because it could make for an incredible red carpet which the Festival loves to put on.
Blue Jasmine-Woody Allen's latest film "Blue Jasmine" also has a star studded cast that includes Cate Blanchett. However, Allen has a history of premiering his best films at the festival including "Midnight in Paris" and "The Purple Rose of Cairo." If this film is a hit like the aforementioned, then "Jasmine" could easily be an official selection.
The Butler-Lee Daniel's fourth film "The Butler" is one of the most anticipated movies of the year as Oscar Guru Harvey Weinstein will distribute it and it will also mark Oprah Winfrey's return to the silver screen. Daniel's history with the festival has been a hit or a miss. Last year his third directional effort "The Paperboy" premiered to terrible reviews with the festival audience booing it. However Daniel's also opened his Oscar nominee "Precious" and that garnered acclaim. If the film is ready on time then it will definitely make its world premiere. However based on it late December release, audiences will have to wait until Toronto or Venice.
Diana-Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and starring Naomi Watts, "Diana" is currently in post-production and could very well miss the entry date. However, if the German director finishes it, he may want to submit his latest in order to obtain a distributor and potentially start an Oscar campaign for Watts' portrayal of Princess Diana.
Grace of Monaco- "Grace of Monaco" like "Diana" is still in post-production and also seems like a long shot to make it on time. But if Oliver Dahan finishes on time, his film could easily be selected given his French origin and the fact that it is also being distributed by Harvey Weinstein. In addition with Nicole Kidman garnering buzz, the film could also benefit from an early Oscar campaign and potentially win the Best Actress Award at the festival.
Inside Llewyn Davis-The Coen brothers have a history with Cannes as they won the Palm d'Or for "Barton Fink" and then competed for the award with "No Country for Old Men." Their new movie "Inside Llewyn Davis" is completed as there was already a pre-screening in New York. However CBS has not announced a released date and even though there is Oscar buzz, the distributor's lack of Oscar history may be at a disadvantage for it. With the Coen's long history with the festival, a spot at Cannes could help buzz grow and potentially make it a stand out film.
Only God Forgives-Nicolas Winding Refn last won the Best Director award at Cannes for his work on "Drive." The film garnered outstanding reviews and was nominated for one Oscar. His latest "Only God Forgives" is rumored to be even more violent and it reunites him with Ryan Goisling. Cannes already awarded his last achievement and therefore the selection committee could easily have a bias for "God Forgives."
Twelve Years A Slave-One of the most revered new directors of the last five years is Steve McQueen. He unveiled his directional debut "Hunger" at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. With a huge cast and buzz spreading, "Twelve Years a Slave" could be a major contender for the Palm d'Or. However judging by its late December date, Fox Searchlight may want to hold off its World Premiere for Toronto and Venice.
Other directors who could make the cut include Lars Von Triers for "Nymphomanic," Terrence Malick for his "Knights of Cup," Terry Gilliam for "The Zero Theorem," Susanne Bier for "Serena," Asghar Farhadi for "The Past," James Gray for "LowLife," and Alfonso Cuaron for "Gravity.