Cannes Film Festival 2024 Guide 2

The biggest film event of the year, the Cannes Film Festival, took place from May 14-25, 2024. As we look back at Cannes 2024, we have compiled this article to provide an overview of the festival, information about the films we had the chance to watch, the main competition films, and to create a recommendation list.

In the second part of the series, we examine Special Screenings, Cinema on the Beach, Cannes Classics, La Cinef, and short films.

Special Screenings

The selection committee chooses a special environment suitable for the identity of each of the 14 films in the selection.

An Unfinished Film – Dir. Ye Lou: A film crew reunites near Wuhan to continue shooting a film that was halted ten years ago, but this time they face the obstacle of Covid. A semi-documentary, semi-fiction drama about cinema, incorporating China’s 2020 Covid crisis.
Apprendre (Elementary) – Dir. Claire Simon: A documentary revealing the profound impact of teachers’ dedication to their students. Simon sincerely observes the students at Makarenko Primary School, presenting a documentary in line with the school’s values, uncovering small miracles within the ordinary.
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found – Dir. Raoul Peck (Award: Golden Eye): South African photographer Ernest Cole was the first to reveal the horrors of Apartheid to the global public. Raoul Peck narrates Cole’s travels, his turbulent life as an artist, and his anger against the Apartheid regime. The film also reveals the discovery of 60,000 negatives found in a Swedish bank vault in 2017.
Le Fil (An Ordinary Case) – Dir. Daniel Auteuil: The fifth film directed by actor Auteuil, giving the impression of an ordinary courtroom drama.
Spectateurs! (Filmlovers!) – Dir. Arnaud Desplechin: In the director’s words, “What does it mean to go to the cinema? Why have people been going for over a century?” A fictional documentary celebrating cinemas and their various charms.

Personal Favorite in the Section: An Unfinished Film

Other Films in the Section:

Angelo, dans la forêt mystérieuse (In The Wonderwoods) – Dir. Alexis Ducord & Vincent Paronnaud
L’arte della gioia (The Art of Joy) (Mini Series) – Dir. Valeria Golino
La belle de Gaza (The Belle from Gaza) – Dir. Yolande Zauberman
Lula – Dir. Oliver Stone & Robert S. Wilson
Moi aussi (Me Too) (Short Film) – Dir. Judith Godrèche
Nasty – Dir. Tudor Giurgiu & Cristian Pascariu & Tudor D. Popescu
Olympiques! La France des Jeux – Dir. Mickaël Gamrasni
Sauvages – Dir. Claude Barras
The Invasion – Dir. Sergey Loznitsa

Cannes Classics

This section celebrates the legacy of film, highlighting works from the past and bringing them to the big screen with new or restored copies. This year, the selection includes 32 films:

Scénarios (2024) – Dir. Jean-Luc Godard: His final work, which can be interpreted as an artistic farewell manifesto to cinema.
Jacques Demy, le rose et le noir (2024) – Dir. Florence Platarets: A dive into the colorful and evolving world of Jacques Demy.
François Truffaut, le scénario de ma vie (2024) – Dir. David Teboul: A documentary exploring the life and cinema of François Truffaut.
FAYE (2024) – Dir. Laurent Bouzereau: An intimate documentary about legendary actress Faye Dunaway.
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2024) – Dir. Kaku Arakawa: A documentary narrating the production process of Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron.”

Other films in the selection:

Bona (1980) – Dir. Lino Brocka
Bye Bye Brazil (1980) – Dir. Carlos Diegues
The Camp at Thiaroye (1988) – Dir. Ousmane Sembene & Thierno Faty Sow
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024) – Dir. Nanette Burstein
Gilda (1946) – Dir. Charles Vidor
Once Upon a Time: Michel Legrand (2024) – Dir. David Hertzog Dessites
Jacques Rozier, d’une vague à l’autre (2024) – Dir. Emmanuel Barnault
Jim Henson: Idea Man (2024) – Dir. Ron Howard
Johnny Got His Gun (1971) – Dir. Dalton Trumbo
Army of Shadows (1969) – Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville
La rose de la mer (1946) – Dir. Jacques de Baroncelli
Law and Order (1969) – Dir. Frederick Wiseman
La vérité est révolutionnaire – L’Aveu (2024) – Dir. Yannick Kergoat
Les années déclic (1984) – Dir. Raymond Depardon
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) – Dir. Jacques Demy
Manthan (1976) – Dir. Shyam Benegal
Napoléon vu par Abel Gance (1927) – Dir. Abel Gance
Paris, Texas (1984) – Dir. Wim Wenders
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) – Dir. Robert Bresson
Rosaura a las 10 (1958) – Dir. Mario Soffici
Slap the Monster on Page One (1972) – Dir. Marco Bellocchio
Shanghai Blues (1984) – Dir. Hark Tsui
Seven Samurai (1954) – Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Tasio (1984) – Dir. Montxo Armendáriz
The Sugarland Express (1974) – Dir. Steven Spielberg
Walking in the Movies (2024) – Dir. Lyang Kim

Cinéma de la Plage (Cinema on the Beach)

At the Cinéma de la Plage, after a program dedicated to film music, classic films and selected new films are screened for the public. This year, 13 films were shown:

After Hours (1985) – Dir. Martin Scorsese
Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (1991) – Dir. Jackie Chan
Exils (2004) – Dir. Tony Gatlif
Tales from Earthsea (2006) – Dir. Gorô Miyazaki
Days of Glory (2006) – Dir. Rachid Bouchareb
Porco Rosso (1992) – Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
My Way (2024) – Dir. Lisa Azuelos & Thierry Teston
Nine Queens (2000) – Dir. Fabián Bielinsky
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) – Dir. Brian De Palma
Silex & The City (2024) – Dir. Jean-Paul Guigue & Julien Berjeaut
Slocum et moi (2024) – Dir. Jean-François Laguionie
Trainspotting (1996) – Dir. Danny Boyle
Transmitzvah (2024) – Dir. Daniel Burman

La Cinef

Eighteen short and medium-length films from film schools around the world are presented in the Salle Buñuel. Award-winning films:

Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know… – Dir. Chidananda S Naik
Out the Window Through the Wall – Dir. Asya Segalovich
To Chaos Pou Afise Piso Tis (The Chaos She Left Behind) – Dir. Nikos Kolioukos
Bunnyhood – Dir. Mansi Maheshwari

Other films in this section:

Banished Love – Dir. Xiwen Cong
Crow Man – Dir. Yohann Abdelnour
Echoes – Dir. Robinson Drossos
Elevación – Dir. Gabriel Esdras
Forest of Echos – Dir. Yoori Lim
In spirito – Dir. Nicolò Folin
It’s Not Time for Pop – Dir. Amit Vaknin
Mauvais coton (Us and Them) – Dir. Nicolas Dumaret
Plevel (Weeds) – Dir. Pola Kazak
Praeis (It’ll Pass) – Dir. Dovydas Draksas
Terminal – Dir. East Elliott
The Deer’s Tooth – Dir. Saif Hammash
Three – Dir. Amie Song
Withered Blossoms – Dir. Lionel Seah

Short Films

Short films competing for the Palme d’Or are presented in the Buñuel and Debussy theaters. The 11 films shown in this competition are:

The Man who could not Remain Silent – Dir. Nebojsa Slijpcevic (Award: Palme d’Or)
Bad for a Moment – Dir. Daniel Soares (Award: Special Mention)
Across the Waters – Dir. Viv Li
Amarela – Dir. Andre Hayato Saito
Les Belles Cicatrices – Dir. Raphael Jouzeau
Ootide – Dir. Egle Razumaite
Perfectly a Strangeness – Dir. Alicon McAlpine
Rruges – Dir. Samir Karahoda
Sanki Yoxsan – Dir. Azer Guliev
Tea – Dir. Blake Rice
Volcelest – Dir. Eric Briche