Cannes 2022 International Film Festival

Is there anything more complicated than familial relationships? Be it husband and wife, parent and child, or sibling to sibling, the DNA of cinema is abounding with narratives that attempt to navigate the intricate bonds that connect us. Golden Globe and Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) gets her chance to dive deep into quite the sibling interaction in Arnaud Desplechin's  Brother and Sister (Frère et Sœur), a drama that examines the hostility between esteemed stage actor Alice Vuillard (Cotillard) and her brother Louis (Melvil Poupaud), an acclaimed author.

Brad Pitt had been seen on the Croisette in the past - a very recluse visitor, for sure. In 2009 the paparazzi managed to spot Pitt and Angelina Jolie in town, but it was only three years later that the actor/producer was officially invited to Cannes.

As part of its sponsorship at this year’s American Pavilion at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (“HFPA”) announced one of its panels will feature all women in focusing on “Global Voices: Empowering Women Behind the Lens” on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 1:00 PM (local time). “This year we assembled a dynamic panel featuring four women who are showing their work at Cannes for the first time.

Tutte buona gente: Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Sergio Leone, James Woods, Danny Aiello. This distinguished group of talent was in Cannes with Once Upon A Time in America, which had its worldwide premiere in the Palais.

It is not often you hear a director admit that he expects spectators of his new film to vocally express their displeasure. “Is the film really going to be as bad as all that? ponders Michel Hazanavicius about the audience’s reaction to the first 30 minutes of his new film.

One of the hottest Hollywood couples - recently divorced Natalie Wood and rising star Warren Beatty - arrive in Cannes to promote Beatty's sultry drama All Fall Down. Directed by John Frankenheimer, Beatty starred as a handsome drifter who lives off the women he easily seduces.

Two years before making this appearance in Cannes for the first time, David Bowie had been his grand entrance in cinema, starring Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (he was Thomas Jerome Newton, the man who fell to Earth). Now, two years later, Bowie - and a team very easy on the eyes - was in Cannes to promote the David Hemmings-directed Just a Gigolo, the tale of a World War I hero who becomes a gigolo in Berlin, under the watching eye of a madam played by Marlene Dietrich.

As part of its sponsorship at this year’s American Pavilion at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (“HFPA”) announced one of its panels will feature directors making their directorial debuts with premieres of their films at the festival focusing on “Cannes First Time: Conversation” on Monday, May 23, 2022, at 2:00 PM (local time). “One of the greatest moments for any new director is to make their debut at Cannes and this year we have brought together these new directors hailing from new markets bringing some amazing new work to the global stage,” said Helen Hoehne, President of the HFPA.

The beaches of Cannes are populated with more than just scantily clad bathers, especially during the film festival. Film and production companies bring their talent to try and sell upcoming films to various foreign markets.

Cannes this year looks and feels the same as it ever was, just like David Byrne sings in, well, "Same as It Ever Was": parties every night, films galore all day long, stars, filmmakers, and press taking over the lovely beach town. It is as if the pandemic had never touched down on the Croisette - art and joy now take over fear and pain.