Lights, Camera, Cannes: What to Expect at Cannes 2023
Cannes Film Festival 2023 is almost here, spotlighting all the most exciting — and surprising — films coming soon to cinema and streaming
Cannes Film Festival 2023 Official Poster
In Amazon Prime’s latest smash hit, Jury Duty, there’s a scene that’s become the subject of many social media screen grabs. In it, actor James Marsden, speaking as himself, is asked if he’s ever served on a jury. “Yes,” he replies, elaborating later, “Cannes.”
Part of the hilarity of this line rests on how iconic Cannes Film Festival is. While irrelevant in a court of law, Cannes is integral to cinema lovers around the globe for its elevation of phenomenal films and the championing of exquisite art and artists.
While headlines focus on glamorous attendees and the buzzy red carpet, Cannes sets the tone for what movies will look like that year. Last year, the world was surprised to see Top Gun Maverick in the lineup. But, sure enough, that film was hailed as a savior of the cinematic experience itself and later nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
This year’s President of the Jury of the 76th Festival de Cannes is Ruben Östlund – director of last year’s break-out hit, Triangle of Sadness. “Nowhere in the film world is the anticipation as strong as when the curtain rises on the films in competition at the festival. It is a privilege to be part of it, together with the Cannes audience of connoisseurs,” Östlund said of the honor.
He also added, “Cinema culture is in its most important period ever. The cinema has a unique aspect – There, we watch together, and it demands more on what is shown and increases the intensity of the experience. It makes us reflect in a different way than when we dopamine scroll in front of the individual screens.”
Year after year, Cannes premiers films – from comedies to dramas and streamers to theatre releases – that give us a taste of the conversations we’ll be having as a culture, As Östlund put it, it celebrates the community aspect of film. And it’s always a weekend to remember.
Here are the films I’m most excited to see hit La Croisette at this year’s Cannes Film Festival:
Maïwenn’s 'Jeanne du Barry' will be the “Opening Film” at Cannes
This year’s opening film will be Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn, a French director, screenwriter, actress, and producer. A Cannes film vet, she won the 2011 Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) for her film Polisse.
Jeanne du Barry follows the social ascent of a smart, culture-hungry working-class woman who falls in love with King Louis XV and finds herself at Versailles.
Despite the acclaim of Maïwenn herself, the film is already embroiled in controversy due to its star actor – Johnny Depp as King Louis XV. This is the actor’s first major role since his messy, public trial against Amber Heard. Jury’s out as to whether his role will cast a shadow over the entire production (leading to a media circus a la Don’t Worry Darling) or if critics and audiences will studiously ignore Depp’s transgressions (a la West Side Story’s Ansel Elgort).Pixar’s 'Elemental' will be the “Last Screening” at Cannes
Elemental is Pixar’s fourth feature film (after Up, Inside Out, and Soul) to become an Official Selection. Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, said: “As we all emerge from our pandemic cocoons and come together in story rooms, animation dailies, and impromptu brainstorming sessions, it’s a joy and honor to have Pixar back on La Croisette.”
The closing film of the lineup, Elemental is a whimsical tale about the four elements. If films like Soul are anything to go by Elemental is sure to be quietly heartwrenching and simultaneously heartwarming. “[Elemental] was created for audiences to experience on the big screen and I love that it’ll make its world premiere at Cannes.”
The highly anticipated Killers of the Flower Moon will mark Martin Scorsese’s return as a Cannes’ Official Selection for the first time since 1986
As we all know, Scorsese’s current project is a Chanel Bleu commercial that’s shooting in New York City right now. Starring Timothee Chalamet, clips from the set have been circulating the internet for the past week, including one of Timothee saying “period,” to the master director.
@indiewire Timothée Chalamet and Martin Scorsese on the set of their Chanel Bleu commercial shoot yesterday in Astoria, Queens. #fyp #indiewire #nyc #timotheechalamet #martinscorsese #commercialshoot #behindthescenes #timotheechalametedit #chanel
We’re all super eager for that commercial to air. But until then, Scorsese’s other highly anticipated project, Killers of the Flower Moon, will enjoy its world premiere at Cannes. The Apple Original feature film is based on David Grann’s bestselling novel and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Tantoo Cardinal, and more.
Although, Scorsese’s a Cannes vet, he hasn’t had a film in the festival for decades. He was awarded the Palme d’Or in 1976 for Taxi Driver, then won the Best Director Award for After Hours in 1986. We’re thrilled to see Scorcese’s big return to the Croisette.Sam Levinson’s The Idol will premiere at Cannes
Another buzzy project from a major studio is HBO’s The Idol. Helmed by industry favorite Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, a man is never without controversy. The set of Euphoria is constantly embroiled in scandals and rumors of drama that seems to drive the show’s energy. The Idol has already been subject to speculation about the on-set culture and rumored toxicity.
After all the gossip and internet chat, the series will finally debut at Cannes 2023. The Idol stars Lily Rose Depp and Abel Tesfaye (aka the Weekend) alongside other major stars like Jennie Kim, Troye Sivan, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Dan Levy, and others. Fans eagerly await news of how the ambitious project actually fares.
Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City will premiere at Cannes
I’ve never met a Wes Anderson movie I didn’t like. The formalist director is a mainstream favorite while retaining his signature experimental attitude and style that features visually stunning work with stat-studded casts. Debuting at this year’s festival, his latest work – Asteroid City – is about a folksy town hit by an alien invasion.
And so many-many stars, it’s dazzling: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, as well as Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon. Try saying that in one breath.
There’s a new Indiana Jones film making its debut
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – the fifth installment in the franchise – will take a bow at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Official Selection. If Top Gun and Elvis’s 2022 Cannes premiers have taught us anything, it’s don’t be shocked when mainstream films make it into the festival. I, for one, am curious about how this nostalgic franchise film caught the eye of the this year’s jury.
Full List of films In Competition, which must be released in cinemas
JEANNE DU BARRY by MAÏWENN
CLUB ZERO by Jessica HAUSNER
THE ZONE OF INTEREST by Jonathan GLAZER
FALLEN LEAVES by Aki KAURISMAKI
LES FILLES D’OLFA by Kaouther BEN HANIA
(FOUR DAUGHTERS)
ASTEROID CITY by Wes ANDERSON
ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE by Justine TRIET
MONSTER by KORE-EDA Hirokazu
IL SOL DELL’ AVVENIRE by Nanni MORETTI
L’ÉTÉ DERNIER by Catherine BREILLAT
KURU OTLAR USTUNE by Nuri Bilge CEYLAN
(ABOUT DRY GRASSES)
LA CHIMERA by Alice ROHRWACHER
LA PASSION DE DODIN BOUFFANT by TRAN ANH Hùng
RAPITO by Marco BELLOCCHIO
MAY DECEMBER by Todd HAYNES
JEUNESSE by WANG Bing
THE OLD OAK by Ken LOACH
BANEL E ADAMA by Ramata-Toulaye SY | 1st film
PERFECT DAYS by Wim WENDERS
FIREBRAND by Karim AÏNOUZ
BLACK FLIES by Jean-Stéphane SAUVAIRE
LE RETOUR by Catherine CORSINI
Full List of films Out of Competition, which are films released on streaming services
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY by James MANGOLD
COBWEB by KIM Jee-woon
THE IDOL by Sam LEVINSON
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON by Martin SCORSESE
L’ABBÉ PIERRE – UNE VIE DE COMBATS by Frédéric TELLIER
- 10 Director's Cuts That Made the Movie Better ›
- Lily-Rose Depp Cannes 2023: 'The Idol' Star is an It Girl - Popdust ›
Like this, but in reverse
It's the part he was born for
In Defense of Jeff Goldblum's "Stupid" Islam Comments on "Drag Race"
Unlike most Americans, Jeff Goldblum had some humility on the issue
Jeff Goldblum
Actor Jeff Goldblum appeared as the guest judge on Friday night's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race and got himself into some hot water.
After Iranian-American contestant Jackie Cox walked the runway in a red and white striped kaftan with a blue hijab rimmed in stars—in keeping with the episode's "Stars and Stripes" theme—Goldblum asked her if she was religious. She responded that she is not but that her outfit "represents the importance that visibility for people of religious minorities need to have in this country."
She later got into how Donald Trump's controversial (and blatantly Islamophobic) travel ban had affected her personally, saying, "When the Muslim ban happened, it really destroyed a lot of my faith in this country. It really hurt my family … And I had to show America that you can be LGBT and from the Middle East, and there's gonna be complicated sh** around that, and that's okay. But I'm here, and I deserve to be in America just as much as anyone else."
It's a potent and important message in a time when xenophobia and exclusion are being promoted as the cure for all of America's problems, but that significance ended up being overshadowed by the outrage that erupted around Jeff Golblum's attempt to dig into some of that "complicated sh**." Noting what he referred to as "an interesting wrinkle," Goldblum asked, "Is there something in that religion that is anti-homosexuality and anti-woman? Does that complicate the issue? I'm just raising it and thinking out loud and maybe being stupid."
While RuPaul immediately brushed aside that bit of self-doubt, noting that "Drag has always shaken the tree, so to speak," it's important that Goldblum acknowledged his possible stupidity on the subject. The truth is that the vast majority of Americans are stupid when it comes to the topic of Islam—which is far from the monolithic system of oppression that Americans are encouraged to imagine. While some have criticized Goldblum's suggestion that Islam is particularly unfriendly toward women and the LBGTQ community as "dangerous," isn't there a danger in leaving commonly shared thoughts unspoken and uninterrogated?
As a nation, we've spent much of the last two decades being indoctrinated into a view of muslim countries as uniquely oppressive to the point that our military involvement in the region is justified and necessary. The truth is that misogyny and homophobia remain common to most cultures and religious institutions around the world, and the fact that America has legalized gay marriage and platformed a popular show about drag is hardly proof that we have moved past those problems ourselves. But while it would have been better for Jeff Goldblum to acknowledge that reality in his comments, that doesn't mean he's oblivious to it.
As it turns out, Goldblum has seen a lot of American homophobia. His older brother Lee was pushed into "conversion therapy" by their father, whom Goldblum describes as "conspicuously cruel" toward Lee, who has since passed away. All the while Lee's sexuality remained a secret, and it seems more than likely that the shame and trauma of those experiences contributed to Lee's later struggles with mental health. Some viewers have speculated that it was thoughts of his late brother that motivated Goldblum's tearful reception of the episode's lip-sync battle.
Regardless, it's safe to assume that Goldblum is aware of the homophobia that is still a big part of American culture and of most forms of religious belief. He has expressed broad criticism of organized religion in the past, and while Jackie Cox's outfit brought the topic to Islam, Goldblum might have asked the same sort of questions if a contestant from a Christian or Jewish background had dressed as a nun or a hasidic woman.
So while it's worth criticizing the islamophobia that can be inferred in Goldblum's comments, we can't jump at the chance to "cancel him." His perspective is likely more nuanced than a harsh interpretation would suggest, and the humility included in his note that he was "thinking out loud and maybe being stupid" deserves some credit.
Certainly criticism of Islam and Muslim-majority countries should be handled carefully and placed in a context that acknowledges the harm done to those cultures by American and European imperialism. But if we treat that criticism as inherently taboo and hateful, we give fodder to actual voices of hate to say that we are ignoring reality—the reality, for instance, that Iranian women are currently striving to improve with their headscarf protests.
For evidence, see the myriad "conservative" (white/Christian-supremacist) publications now rallying behind Jeff Goldblum as a supposed victim of cancel culture for calling out Muslim homophobia. Never mind that those same publications would never publish a tolerant word about a show like Ru Paul's Drag Race in any other context.
So yes, take Jeff Goldblum's slightly clueless perspective on Islam as an opportunity to educate and correct broader American ignorance, but leave outrage out of the equation—it doesn't help anything.