Yes, we're excited for the latest epics from Quentin Tarantino and Terrence Malick. But there is a whole lot more to anticipate at the year's most glamorous auteur celebration. “Atlantics” (Mati Diop) Mati Diop has been gaining traction for her short films over the last several years (and as an actress, in films like “Simon Killer”), but she makes her feature directorial debut with “Atlantics” in the festival’s highest profile section. The film will screen in the Competition section, earning Diop a spot in the history books as the first female filmmaker of African descent to compete for the Palme d’Or. Previously titled “Fire Next Time” (although not based on James Baldwin’s famous essay collection of the same name), “Atlantics” tells the story of a young woman from Dakar, whose fast-paced lifestyle is disrupted by the sudden disappearance of her lover, soon believed to be dead. It’s a timely scenario focused on the ongoing plight of families from marginalized countries forced to make often treacherous journeys across land and sea in search of better opportunities in an increasingly intolerant, xenophobic world. Diop’s poetic storytelling and profound subject matter is likely to establish her as one of this year’s major breakout talents. —TO “Bull” (Annie Silverstein) One of three American directors in Un Certain Regard this year, Annie Silverstein returns to Cannes five years after her short “Skunk” won the festival’s Cinéfondation section. The filmmaker’s feature debut is a naturalistic story about a rebellious teen who escapes the pain of her mother’s incarceration by bonding with her next-door neighbor, a curmudgeonly bullfighter whose best days are behind him. Shot on the outskirts of Houston with a largely non-professional cast, “Bull” is said to echo Chloe Zhao’s “The Rider” (another Cannes breakout) in its ability to convey the nuances of American bullfighting culture, as well as intimate emotional struggles of impoverished people trapped on the margins of society. At Cannes, this magnification of Southern life could take on a broader anthropological scope, putting the experiences of lower-class American life on a pedestal it almost never receives back home. In the process, it could also turn Silverstein into a major director to watch. —EK “The Climb” (Michael Covino) Michael Covino’s 2018 Sundance short “The Climb” (above) crammed an awkward-funny scenario into seven economical minutes, as two longtime pals (played by Covino and co-writer Kyle Marvin) bike up a particularly challenging hill while one of them reveals to the other that he slept with his buddy’s fiancé. Covino’s feature-length adaptation of that short takes that amusing premise as a starting point for a sprawling portrait of adult male friendship that covers major turning points in both of their lives. The movie is said to bring an exciting cinematic flourish to the familiar dude movie formula, which explains its high-profile Cannes slot, and poised to launch a promising writer-director pair to wider audiences. As U.S. studio comedies grow increasingly tired and dopey microbudget stories about arrested development blur together, “The Climb” could be just the thing to shake up that formula. In a year in which several American filmmakers are likely to leave an impact at the festival, “The Climb” may not generate the same hype as Quentin Tarantino’s latest opus, but it offers something even more intriguing — the opportunity for a genuine discovery, and an accomplishment that American journalists will be eager to write home about. —EK “Deerskin” (Quentin Dupieux) French director (and DJ) Quentin Dupieux has always excelled at delivering on the promise of his wacky, surreal high-concepts, although nothing to date can top 2010’s killer tire movie “Rubber.” Yes, “Rubber”: The discursive tale of a deranged car part careening across the desert that also doubled as a meta commentary on the absurdity of all modern storytelling. It was a hit at Cannes, which was hip to Dupieux’s weird wavelength early on, and now he’s getting a prime slot as the opening selection of Directors’ Fortnight. Once again, Dupieux has centered on the unusual powers of a stationary object — in this case, a jacket, whose owner blows all his savings on the item and careens into a life of crime. “The Artist” Oscar winner Jean Dujardin stars as the ill-fated man in question, whose bizarre odyssey is said to unfold as comedic thriller. But when it comes to Dupieux, all bets are off: Expect nothing, and just enjoy the outré ride. —EK “Diego Maradona” (Asif Kapadia) Asif Kapadia has mastered a latter-day documentary portraiture that brings the audience closer to his subjects than it feels like any other documentarian working today possibly could. His two best known efforts, “Senna” and “Amy,” looked at two doomed legends: racecar driver Ayrton Senna, who died at 34 in a crash, and Amy Winehouse, who lost her life at 27. Kapadia’s new film looks at a living legend: Diego Maradona, long considered by soccer aficionados to be the greatest player in the history of the sport, rivaled only be Pelé. Maradona, now 58, won only one World Cup, with home country Argentina in 1986, but that contest involves two of the most talked about soccer moments ever. In Argentina’s quarterfinals against England, Maradona powered the team to a two-to-one victory himself, first with a goal known as the “Hand of God” in which, by any standard, he broke the rules of the sport and knocked in a goal with a volleyball-like fist. (This was in the era before instant replay.) Four minutes later, Maradona followed it up with “The Goal of the Century,” in which in one continuous motion he dribbled the ball past countless defenders most of the length of the field and finally got it past the goalie. As big a personality as he was on the field, he’s always been even bigger off of it: that illegal handball goal he later defended by saying he had not hit his hand against the ball to score the goal, God had done so. Maradona already got a riveting “30 for 30: Soccer Stories” installment by director Sam Blair that ran on ESPN, but what Kapadia can do with Maradona should be extraordinary. —CB “Family Romance, LLC” (Werner Herzog)<doc-sep>For more than seven decades, everyone who’s anyone in the film world has migrated to the French Riviera in May for the Cannes Film Festival, which combines star-studded red-carpet premieres with long days of screenings, meetings, networking, and parties. The festival’s 72nd installment runs from May 14 to 25. Its programming slate features the premieres of Dexter Fletcher’s Elton John biopic Rocketman, Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie The Dead Don’t Die, Pedro Almodovar’s Pain and Glory, Ira Sachs’s Frankie, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, and many more. Whether Quentin Tarantino’s highly-anticipated Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will make an appearance is still uncertain; it depends on whether the director finishes the film in time. Netflix is skipping the festival, for the second year in a row. The streaming giant is in a battle with French movie theater owners as well as festival director Thierry Frémaux over Cannes’ disqualification of Netflix’s films from its main competition. The issue at stake is the French law that mandates 36 months between a film’s theatrical release and its streaming release.<doc-sep>Cannes Film Festival Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Sonam Kapoor Deepika Padukone Huma Qureshi Katrina Kaif Bollywood French Riviera After creating a buzz with their bold fashion sense at the Met Gala 2019, B-Town ladies are all set for their appearances at theonce again. WhileandAhuja have been making the world go berserk with their fashion game at the French Rivera for several years,andrecently joined the bandwagon.According to reports, thedivas are all set to impress with their grand appearance at the Cannes festival this year.While it is not confirmed if Katrina will be gracing the red carpet this year, Aishwarya, Sonam, Deepika and Huma are all getting ready for their appearances.The reports further suggest that Aishwarya is still figuring out the date with her team. Apparently, she was supposed to walk on the red carpet on May 19 but nothing is confirmed yet.Sonam has locked May 20 and 21 for her appearances at the. On the other hand, Deepika will be walking the red carpet on May 16. Apparently, she is also is flying in a few days earlier. Huma will be seen around May 19-20, as per reports. Deepika was also recently seen dressed as a Barbie doll at the Met Gala.The Cannes film festival is scheduled to begin on May 14 and close on May 25.We wonder what surprises the actresses will spring upon their fans this time at the Cannes Film Festival.<doc-sep>Kangana Ranaut will be attending the Cannes Film Festival 2019 this year. Read EXCLUSIVE details about the same. , who has had a busy year with Manikarnika, Panga and Mental Hai Kya, made her debut last year at the Cannes Film Festival. The actress dazzled and how at the red carpet and left everyone stunned with the grace she carried off each outfit. This year again, while it is known that , , among others are heading to the Cannes, Pinkvilla has learnt that Kangana Ranaut will also be attending it. In fact, the film festival which kickstarts from May 14th will see a host of Indian talents this year. According to our khabri, Kangana will be flying for the French Riviera on May 15th and will be walking the red carpet on 16th most probably. Though we are yet to ascertain which designer she will opt for this time, we can be sure that the actress will leave us all surprised and shocked, pleasantly, this time as well. Last year, Kangana looked smoking hot in a sparkling jumpsuit from Nedret Taciroglu for her Cannes debut. Kangana is currently busy practising and shooting for Panga wherein she plays a Kabaddi player. The movie helmed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari also stars Jassie Gill and is slated to release this year. Meanwhile, the release date for Mental Hai Kya which stars Kangana alongside Rajkummar Rao has been pushed for a July release from a June one. The movie will be clashing with 's Super 30 where the Greek God will be playing the role of Anand Kumar. Credits :Pinkvilla Read More<doc-sep>
Our leading ladies are all set to scorch the red carpet at Cannes this year. From Aish to Sonam, Deepika to Huma - here's an entire lowdown on when our actresses will be seen at the French Riviera. The annual Cannes festival is back and the Bollywood gang is gearing up to be at the French Riviera. Each year, the event witnesses several B-Town actors sashaying down the red carpet, sporting some of the most avant garde outfits. Interestingly, everyone is pitted against each other in what turns out to be one of the most sought after fashion events of the year. Celebrities like and Sonam K Ahuja, who are prominent Indian faces for the festival, have been attending the gala for several years. In recent years, , and also became part of the celebrations. Apart from Kat, the other four actresses, who we named above, will indeed be gracing the event in 2019 as well. And we've found out exclusive deets on who's walking on what date. A source tells us, "Aishwarya is deciding on the final dates with the team right now. But as of now, she will be walking post 19th this month." Another khabri informs, "Sonam has locked her dates already. She's part of the events lined up for the 20th and 21st." Our informer also tells us, "Deepika is traveling a few days earlier. She will be seen on May 16th, attending all the functions whereas Huma also will be seen on the red carpet around May 19-20." Credits :Pinkvilla Read More