82 WOMEN OF FILM TAKE A STAND IN CANNES
In an extraordinary moment Saturday, 82 women from all walks of the film world stood in solidarity to express their concern about female representation in the industry at large and Cannes in particular. The group was led by Cate Blanchett, who is presiding over the Palme d'Or jury this year and film legend Agnes Varda who shred a microphone to deliver a statement in both English and French.
The number of women was no accident as 82 is the number of females that have directed films that have screened at Cannes in its 71 year history. Male directed films in that time-1,688.
Among the women in the group of 82-
Telluride Film Festival Executive Director Julie Huntsinger and:
Lea Seydoux
Ava DuVernay
Jane Fonda
Kristen Stewart
Claudia Cardinale
Marion Cotillard
Nandita Das
Patty Jenkins
Salma Hayek
Here's video of the moment from The News Channel and YouTube:
Additionally, here's Vanity Fair's coverage which includes the complete list of 82 women that were on the red carpet on Saturday (for the presentation of Eva Husson's Girls of the Sun):
Other coverage is linked here from:
FIRST CRITICAL LOOK AT CANNES FILMS
As I have done for the past several years, I am linking to several sites that are collecting samplings of critical reaction to the films that are screening at Cannes.
The most comprehensive is from Reini Urban who combines seven different critical collections.
As of this morning the top rated film (with at least a dozen responses recorded) among those in the Palme d'Or competition is Alice Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro with 45 combined critic ratings and a 7.53 average. Pawel Pawlikowski Cold War sits at second with a 7.41 average.
Also from Todas Criticas. Jean Luc Godard's The Image Book leads with an 8.32 with Happy as Lazzaro next at 8.13.
Ioncinema has Cold War out front with a 3.7 (on a five point scale) followed by Jia Zhangke's Ash Is the Purest White with a 3.2. Jafar Panahi's Three Faces has a 4.3 but that comes from only three critics thus far.
Screen International's compilation is lead by both Cold War and Ash Is the Purest White with a tied 2.9 (on a four point scale).
And the ICS collection of critics has The Image Book on top with a 4.71 (of five) followed by Ash Is the Purest White at 3.92.
The links to the various critical takes are here:
THE LA MANCHA SAGA GETS ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY LOOK
As I have been dutifully reporting, it looks like Terry Gilliam's long-gestating The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will finally screen on Saturday as the closing night film for the 71st Cannes Film Festival. The 20+ year ordeal is about to get to the next chapter...
In 2002, the efforts of Gilliam to make the film were chronicled in the doc Lost in La Mancha. That film played TFF.
Now, as Gilliam is on the cusp of realizing the film's completion, word comes that the same crew that produce Lost in La Mancha has been collecting material for a follow on documentary that will cover the latest trials and tribulations that have led to the film's imminent presentation.
The film is currently titled He Dreams of Giants.
PANAHI'S LATEST HAS A TRAILER
Iranian film maker has managed to get another film out of that nation despite his status under house arrest. Three Faces premiered at Cannes this week and the early critical response seems good.
Three years ago Panahi's Taxi played Berlin, winning the Golden Bear, and ultimately Telluride.
Could we see another Panahi film in the San Juans at the end of the summer? I wouldn't count it out.
Here's the official trailer for the film prepped for Cannes and with English subtitles via YouTube:
That's your MTFB for a Monday. More to come on Thursday...
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