On the festival’s 75th anniversary, global cinema proves its continued importance in society.
After the pandemic postponed its 2020 events and during the global crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Cannes 2022 persists and begins its 75th Film Festival today. Due to the world’s turbulent times, jury president Vincent Lindon says that the festival’s role is more vital than ever.
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“Do you think the world will change if we stop Cannes?” Lindon told The Guardian. “No. If it would, then I’m sure we’d stop Cannes. But I think the opposite. At this festival, we can be a mirror. And I think that culture is the most crucial piece of proof or evidence of what the world was like when we were living in it. So it’s very important. We have to do it.”
Supporting Lindon’s claim of cinema’s role in culture was a surprise guest of honor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a filmed speech, Zelensky mentioned Charlie Chaplin’s role as Hynkel in The Great Dictator (1940) and quoted Apocalypse Now (1979), a fictional film about how war deranges an individual’s life journey.
“I’m sure that the dictator will lose,” Zelensky said. “We will win in this war. Glory to Ukraine.”
This year, in support of Ukraine, the organizers banned official Russian delegations but welcomed individual artists who stood against the Putin regime.
While the festival, which celebrates global cinema, proceeds until May 28, we round up the films to look out for that spark thought, revive the past, and provide awareness of cultural issues.
The Natural History of Destruction
Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa released the documentary, based on the book by WG Sebald, about aerial bombardment in World War II. It’s a historical subject that mirrors the horrors Ukraine faces today.
Elvis
Starring Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, the film tells the story of The King’s rise to fame in the 1950s. Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manipulative talent manager, is played by six-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks.
Broker
Broker is Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s first Korean-language film. The emotional drama revolves around “baby boxes,” a real case in South Korea where people can abandon unwanted newborns.
Silent Twins
British actresses Tamara Lawrance and Letitia Wright play identical twins in the film by Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska. When they were three years old, the sisters rejected communication with anyone but each other. Eventually, the twins were sent to an England psychiatric hospital for arson and theft.
Crimes of the Future
Canadian director and Cannes regular David Cronenberg are back with a thought-provoking film about transhumanism. It’s set in the future where people must adapt to robust human-enhancement technologies, resulting in the instability of humankind.
Banner photo from Broker (2022) official trailer.
