2017 Cannes International Film Festival

Some decades down the line, how will the 70th Cannes Film Festival be remembered? From an in-the-moment point of view, this jubilee iteration of the venerable event is being shaped by the forces of new media - streaming platforms, virtual reality, TV-as-cinema - and women. Lots of women - behind the camera, in front of the camera, telling women's stories and universal themes from a female perspective.

By the time Heaven's Gate landed on the Croisette, a trail of rumors, allegations and serious problems was following it like a hound from hell. Hot from the success of 1978's The Deer Hunter - which received six Golden Globe nominations, with Michael Cimino winning as Best Director -  Cimino stirred a bidding war for his next project, the period drama, Heaven's Gate.

The news of the horrendous attack in Manchester hit Cannes on the very day the festival had set aside to celebrate its 70th anniversary. The horror and sadness were adressed with a moment of silence, a strong statement from the festival and the very thing terror and ignorance always try to extinguish - the power of choice, freedom and creativity.

The opening of The Rider - winner, with A Ciambra, of the Directors Fortnight-  focuses on a horse’s mane, spreading and floating in slow motion as the animal bucks and whinnies. It’s an indication that this cowboy story is going to be told differently and hints at the visuals to come that capture the vast open spaces and rugged isolation of South Dakota.