It's that time of the year again when the entire clan of movie buffs eagerly cling on to every medium that provides them with updates from one of the most prestigious film festival of all times; Cannes Film Festival. The 69th edition of these glorious annual awards is all set to swing in from today at the French Riviera Resort. From impeccable red carpet appearances to brilliant pieces of cinematic excellence, this year has a lot in store for movie fanatics.
With the history of best artistes and best works, the 2016 edition is all set to get the ball rolling. Here are 5 reasons that make this year’s Cannes Film Festival just un-missable!
Bucket full of movies
The festival that opens with the screening of Woody Allen’s ‘Cafe Society’ starring Kristen Stewart has in store a lot of other movies to grip the audience with the spectacular cinematic feels. There’s no dearth of artistic movies to lure one into the world of make-believe cinema. Be it Oscar runners (‘Carol’) or artsy works (Spain’s ‘Julieta’, Denmark’s ‘The Neon Demon’), or the commercial pegs including ‘The Nice Guys’, there’s nothing you’d want to miss this time. Some of the films that have made it the list of every movie buff includes ‘Monkey Monster’, ‘Loving’, ‘The Neon Demon’, ‘American Honey’, ‘Julieta’, ‘The BFG’ and ‘The Nice Guys’. In total, 21 films are in the competition whose winners will be announced on May 22. The films to watch out for are a perfect mix of pure entertainment, period films and some edge-of-the-seat thrillers.
Power pack jury-and-host
To be headed by the 71-year-old George Miller who is returning after a gap of 15 years, the nine-member jury comprises of acclaimed actors such as Kristen Dunst, Donald Sutherland, Mads Mikkelsen and known names from fashion world including Vanessa Paradis and the directors Valeria Golino of ‘Rain Man’ fame, Arnaud Desplechin, Laszlo Nemes and Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi. This versatile group of eminent personalities will vote in several categories such as Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and the highest category Plame d’Or. Other than the power-packed jury, French actor Laurent Lafitte has been announced as the host for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Glam-and-Glitz at the red carpet
The Cannes Film Festival have always drawn its share of big names when it comes to raising a bar with the star-studded line-ups. This time it’s not only brand ambassadors and actresses but also the jury members are going to turn the famous strip into a showcase of glamour. With such a long list of stars this time, the red carpet is sure to be a catwalk event in entirety. Apart from all the regulars, one person to look forward to this time is none other than Julia Roberts who takes to red carpet for her first ever appearance in a Cannes movie. While many luxury brands plan to promote various films, the regulars of L’Oreal Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria, Doutzen Kroes, Blake Lively, Leïla Bekhti, Naomi Watts, Li Bingbing, Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor, Barbara Palvin, Karlie Kloss, Lara Stone and Natasha Poly are also geared up to stun at the red carpet. This year, L’Oreal will also be inviting two of its new male faces: Lewis Hamilton and Lucky Blue Smith to accompany the super gorgeous female ambassadors.
Bollywood Impact
There’s nothing more intriguing for a Bollywood buff than to witness stars from one’s film industry to grace the red carpet and win laurels at an international platform. From head turners on red carpet to movies bagging plaudits, there’s a new world one is rooting for right now.
- Screenings: ‘Mount of Excellence’, ‘Raghu Raman 2.0’, ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’
Directed by Shivajee Chandrabhushan, the documentary delineates the Maitreya Buddha lineage with a narration by Kabir Bedi is going to be screened on May 19th and 20th. Another one to have made it big this time is Kashyap's ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’ starring Vicky Kaushal, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, that is inspired from a psychopathic serial killer who terrorised the streets of Mumbai in the mid-1960s. Other than these two, six Bengali short films including Anirban Guha’s ‘Elixir’ and ‘Afternoon With Julia’will be also be screened.
- Turning heads on the red carpet
It’s time we accept that one of the reasons why every Indian proudly waits for Cannes is because of the enigmatic presence of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Since 2002, the actress has made sure to create an indelible impact on the minds of her fans. 2016 is a special year for the actress as it marks her 15th year on the red carpet. She has been representing giant L’Oreal on the French Riviera since 2002. From donning a Neeta Lulla sari in the first few years to pulling off an Elie Saab in the recent edition, the actress’ style files have indeed made up a good dose of inspiration for fashionistas all around. The actress is likely to grace the red carpet on May 13th and 14h and is expected to miss the charity gala this year as she’ll be busy with the promotions of her upcoming film ‘Sarbjit’.
The moment you hear Sonam’s name, you just can’t help but start wondering what and who she is going to wear this time. Over the years, Sonam has carved a niche for herself at the Cannes Film Festival, courtesy her impeccable style statements and drool-worthy fashion picks. This is Sonam’s sixth year at the gala awards and the actress will grace the occasion on May 15th and 16th. The only thing known about her outfits so far is that they’ll be ‘Indian inspired’.
Amy Jackson’s debut is the one we’re eagerly looking forward to. From modelling to garnering fame in regional cinema to making a mark in Bollywood, her journey is worth a word. As per the reports, Amy has been invited by the British Film Institute for a luncheon where she also plans to attend the charity event where funds are being raised for Syrian refugees.
Can you imagine Cannes without the quintessential presence of Mallika Sherawat? Like every year, this year too the actress plans to be present at the festival for her film ‘Time Raiders’. Another person to be seen this time is the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actor Freida Pinto who gave Cannes a miss last year is also set to announce her all-female production company ‘We Do It Together’ (WDIT) this time.
- ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ goes big
Apart from the fact that this magnum opus will be screened at the fest, the director SS Rajamouli and producer Shobu Yarlagadda will be leading a panel discussion on virtual reality (VR) at the Marche du Film, a marketing event that will be taking place alongside the festival and also a discussion titled Increasing and Scale of Epic Film Experiences through VR at the NEXT Pavilion.
Tribute to the much-loved artist Prince
There’s no denying that tributes have been pouring in from all around the world for the versatile artist who has won the likes of audience and critics alike. An event which has aroused the interests his fans is the special tribute that is planned at fest this time. With almost 39 albums, Prince has always offered something worth cherishing and this time, it’s his fans’ turn!
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