The red carpet has been rolled out at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in the South of France. <\/p>\n
The French Riviera festival beginning Tuesday will include 12 days of nonstop world premieres before culminating May 23 with the presentation of the Palme d\u2019Or, the festival’s top honor and one of the film industry’s most prestigious awards. <\/p>\n
The festivities kick off with the opening-night film, \u201cThe Electric Kiss,\u201d a French period-comedy, and the awarding of an honorary Palme d\u2019Or to the \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d director Peter Jackson. <\/p>\n
What isn\u2019t at Cannes has been as buzzed about as much as what is. Hollywood is largely absent this year. <\/p>\n
While blockbusters like \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d and \u201cElvis\u201d have touched down at previous incarnations, studio films this year have been either scared away by the possibility of a rocky reception or by the high cost of flying in A-listers to the Cote d\u2019Azur. The closest thing in Cannes’ slate is an anniversary celebration for \u201cFast & Furious.\u201d <\/p>\n
Speaking to members of the press Monday, Cannes artistic director Thierry Fr\u00e9maux said Hollywood \u201cis reshaping\u201d in the midst of Paramount Skydance\u2019s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. <\/p>\n
\u201cI hope the studio films will come back,\u201d Fr\u00e9maux said. <\/p>\n
Cannes has become better known for its lengthy standing ovations than its boos. This year, a long list of big-name filmmakers will have center stage. <\/p>\n
Among the filmmakers set to unveil new movies are Pedro Almod\u00f3var (\u201cBitter Christmas\u201d), James Gray (\u201cPaper Tiger\u201d), Na Hong-jin (\u201cHope\u201d), Pawel Pawlikowski (\u201cFatherland\u201d) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (\u201cAll of a Sudden\u201d). <\/p>\n
If Cannes has waned as a global launchpad for studio releases, it has grown as a breeding ground for Oscar contenders. <\/p>\n
Two years ago, Sean Baker\u2019s \u201cAnora\u201d won the Palme in Cannes before winning best picture. Last year, Cannes selections like \u201cSentimental Value,\u201d \u201cThe Secret Agent\u201d and \u201cIt Was Just an Accident\u201d went on to play prominent roles in awards season. <\/p>\n
More often than not, the specialty distributor Neon has been at the forefront of the Cannes-to-Oscars pipeline. Neon has backed the past six Palme d\u2019Or winners, an unprecedented streak that it may be poised to extend. Neon is attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme d\u2019Or. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the jury deciding that award and others will hold a news conference before beginning their sequestered movie watching. South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is serving as president of the nine-member panel, along with Demi Moore, Chlo\u00e9 Zhao, Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and others. <\/p>\n
How much any of this will serve as backdrop for \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d remains to be seen. The fourth season of Mike White\u2019s acclaimed HBO series is based around a trip to Cannes. Last month, the show began shooting on the French Riviera. <\/p>\n
While Cannes may be light on big Hollywood movies, it isn’t lacking in stars. Set to appear over the next two weeks are Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, Sandra H\u00fcller and many others. <\/p>\n