Le Festival de Cannes is coming soon, oui, oui, and les détails are still pouring in. The lineup is pretty much fully out there — featuring Francis Ford Coppola’s weirdo opus Megalopolis; Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos’s umpteenth collaboration, Kinds of Kindness; and David Cronenberg’s latest movie that you’ll watch in between your fingers, The Shrouds. But reports about the films are really only part of the appeal to the general public since we won’t be able to see most of them for a good while after their festival premieres. Also exciting is learning who we will get to see wearing extremely French outfits on the red carpet, who will give speeches, and whose taste we will get to judge because they’re on the Cannes jury. Below, find all the info about Cannes you need to know to cure your FOMO.
The Jury
The judges are the most important people at Cannes. Obviously, they decide who wins. But they also walk the most red carpets since they have to see every film in competition. This year, the jury will be presided over by Greta Gerwig, who, Cannes is happy to announce, is the first “American female director,” which is honestly too many adjectives to make this truly historic. Jury members include Turkish screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Lebanese writer-director Nadine Labaki, Spanish writer-director Juan Antonio Bayona, Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino, Japanese director Kore-eda Hirokazu, and French actor Omar Sy. In terms of the carpet, we’re most excited to see what Gladstone breaks out because, well, look at her.
The Winners
Most of the awards will be decided onsite by the jury, but some are decided before Cannes even begins. One of those is going to a little-known actress named (checks notes) Meryl Streep. She’ll be receiving an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening-night festival, Variety reported. The closing night honorary Palme d’Or will go to George Lucas, of the minor film series Star Wars. Finally, Studio Ghibli will receive an honorary Palme as well, marking the first group to win.
The Dates
The 77th Cannes Film Festival’s opening night is scheduled for May 14, with Quentin Dupieux’s The Second Act kicking off the fest. It ends on May 25, though the closing-night film has not yet been revealed. Quelle surprise!
