With Virginie Efra opening the festival as Master of Ceremony earlier this week, the 2022 Cannes Film Festival is underway. Many film-oriented publications, ours included, have put out their “Most Anticipated” lists for the festival, and one film many are very keen on is Hlynur Pálmason’s “Godland.” 

“Godland,” which will be played under Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, is set in the late 19th century.

Continue reading ‘Godland’ Teaser Clip: Hlynur Pálmason’s Cannes Drama Evokes The Stark Spiritual Devotion Of Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ [Exclusive] at The Playlist.

Cannes is coming, Cannes is coming! The Cannes Film Festival is right around the corner which means, new trailers, clips, and images from over 70+ films are coming. The latest is a highly anticipated film from The Un Certain Regard section. Directed by Lola Quivoron, “Rodeo” is a turbocharged debut feature that follows one woman’s journey through the thrilling and clandestine world of urban stunt bike gangs.

Continue reading ‘Rodeo’ Trailer: Lola Quivoron’s Debut Feature Looks At The Thrilling World Of Urban Stunt Bike Gangs at The Playlist.

The Cannes Film Festival is coming to an end tomorrow, as the closing ceremonies are expected to begin on Saturday. However, before the festival ends and the Palme d’Or is awarded, the event decided to honor those special selections that were chosen by the jury in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes.

READ MORE: Bruno Dumont’s Absurd ‘Jeanne’ (‘Joan of Arc’) Is A War Of Attrition [Cannes Review]

Leading the way is Karim Ainouz’s latest film, “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao.” The drama about two sisters in 1950’s Rio de Janeiro on separate paths, longing to be reunited took home the section’s top prize.

Continue reading ‘The Climb,’ ‘Joan Of Arc,’ ‘The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao’ & More Chosen As Cannes Un Certain Regard Award Winners at The Playlist.

Eight years after her move to Taiwan, Nina Wu (Wu Ke-Xi) finally gets the audition she needs to jump-start her career: “Romance of the Spies,” a 1960s-era spy noir. To her discomfort, after exclusively working on short films and small projects, this glamorous new role calls for full frontal nudity and explicit sex scenes, including a threesome. As Nina acclimates to the bizarre world of the film set, in which comfort and safety are deprioritized in favor of art, she also grapples with family illness, the return of an old flame (Vivian Sung), and the mysterious recurrence of a menacing figure who haunts her dreams (Kimi Hsia).

Continue reading ‘Nina Wu’: Midi Z’s Lukewarm Take On The #MeToo Era Film Set [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

In the history of her on-screen appearances, Joan of Arc has been largely silent. Interpretations by auteurs like Méliès, De Mille, and Dreyer have relied mostly on the expressive capabilities of the actresses depicting the young Catholic saint. But in “Jeanne” (“Joan of Arc”), which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, director Bruno Dumont lends Jeanne a voice, and a self-assured one at that.

Continue reading Bruno Dumont’s Absurd ‘Jeanne’ (‘Joan of Arc’) Is A War Of Attrition [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

Adult sister and brother roommates Sophia (Anne-Élisabeth Bossé) and Karim (Patrick Hivon) share a codependent (borderline incestuous?) sibling bond, occasionally under the fragmented roof of their divorced but amicably cohabiting parents (Sasson Gabai and Micheline Bernard). When Karim accompanies Sophia to an abortion and falls for Sophia’s gynecologist, Éloïse (Évelyne Brochu), their new courtship throws a wrench in Sophia’s platonic ideal siblinghood.

Continue reading ‘A Brother’s Love’: Quebecois Brother-Sister Comedy Is An Impressive Debut For Director Monia Chokri [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

In rural Texas, 14-year-old Krystal (newcomer Amber Havard) causes enough trouble to make her grandmother (Keeli Wheeler) crazy. From taking her sister Chance (Keira Bennett) to the river, to carousing with local kids, her disaffected life is largely overshadowed by her mother Janice’s long-term incarceration, and in turn, punctuated by small acts of rebellion. The breaking point occurs when Krystal breaks into her neighbor Abe Turner’s (Rob Morgan) house to throw a party.

Continue reading ‘Bull’: Annie Silverstein’s Portrait Of Bull Riders Is No Fairy Tale [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

Last year, Nadine Labaki received more critical acclaim than ever before, thanks to her incredible film “Capernaum.” The Oscar-nominated film probably could have won Best Foreign-Language Film, if not for the behemoth “Roma” and the similarly amazing “Cold War.” Of course, being one of the Academy’s five best foreign language films is pretty incredible in its own right. And as the proverbial cherry on top, it appears that Labaki has earned her place as the jury president for this year’s Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Continue reading ‘Capernaum’ Filmmaker Nadine Labaki Named Jury President For Canne’s Un Certain Regard Section at The Playlist.

Coming into this year’s Cannes Film Festival, we were excited to see Ali Abbasi’s latest film, “Border.” Described simply as a modern take on Nordic folklore, as told through the lens of border security, the film follows a border agent with an uncanny sense of smell, who meets a mysterious stranger at her job. Well, apparently, we were right to anticipate the film, as it was just announced as the big winner of the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

Continue reading Ali Abbasi’s ‘Border’ Wins Top Prize At The Un Certain Regard Section Of Cannes at The Playlist.

Not least among the many things to admire in Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof‘s “A Man of Integrity,” which won the top prize in Cannes‘ Un Certain Regard sidebar this year and also picked up best Director and Actor at the Antalya Film Festival, is that it exists at all. Rasoulof, in a similar situation to countryman Jafar Panahi, is largely banned from filmmaking in his country, recently had his passport revoked and sits beneath the Sword of Damocles that is a suspended prison sentence for dissident activity.

Continue reading Knotty, Noirish Un Certain Regard Winner ‘A Man Of Integrity’ [Antalya Review] at The Playlist.

The mothering instinct gets a sociopathically melodramatic makeover in Michel Franco‘s “April’s Daughter,” an initially engrossing but increasingly lunatic film that nonetheless convinced the Cannes Un Certain Regard jury enough for them to give it the Jury Prize this year. Franco is a clearly talented young filmmaker, and Cannes does love his brand of performance-driven psychological drama. His debut, “Daniel & Ana” snagged a Directors’ Fortnight slot; his sophomore film “After Lucia,” which centered around a devastating instance of teen bullying, won the top Un Certain Regard prize; and his third, “Chronic,” picked up the Screenplay award in the main competition.

Continue reading Malice Is A Mother In Michel Franco’s Overripe Melodrama ‘April’s Daughter’ [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

So, that’s a wrap. You’ve seen all the full winners of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival here, maybe you’re shocked, maybe you’re surprised, or in many cases just angry at what many are calling “head scratching” choices from the jury lead by George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road“), but just remember the judges are a random group of people each year and much harder to predict than the rather consistent governing body of voters in the Academy.

Continue reading Watch: All The Clips & Trailers From The 2016 Cannes Film Festival Winners at The Playlist.

With a reputation for being the most prestigious and hotly anticipated film festival in the world, Cannes is full of riches beyond the films playing in Competition. And yet, the movies programmed in the Un Certain Regard (UCR) section are often left out of initial mainstream conversations. It’s only until after the festival when the discussion slowly tilts towards a breakthrough title or notable film that managed to stand out from the pack.

Continue reading 20 Best Breakout Movies From The Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard Section at The Playlist.

Karlovy Vary Review: Off-Kilter, Thoroughly Icelandic Cannes Winner 'Rams'

Continue reading Karlovy Vary Review: Off-Kilter, Thoroughly Icelandic Cannes Winner ‘Rams’ at The Playlist.

Cannes: Icelandic Film ‘Hrútar’ Wins The Top Un Certain Regard Prize, Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa Wins Best Director

Continue reading Cannes: Icelandic Film ‘Hrútar’ Wins The Top Un Certain Regard Prize, Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa Wins Best Director at The Playlist.

It’s basically about three siblings completely sheltered and cut-off from the outside world and forced to play strange games according to rules created by their overprotective parents (they also bathe naked together ala “The Dreamers”). We knew nothing about it other than that but it just sounded so peculiar and potentially thrilling that we were immediately interested.

Continue reading ‘Dogtooth’ Trailer: The Un Certain Regard Winner At Cannes at The Playlist.