Among other titles, the list includes anticipated films Only God Forgives (which was described at the press conference as "radical" and "punk") and Inside Llewyn Davis, but also surprising titles like Alexander Payne's Nebraska, shot in black and white, and Steven Soderbergh's Behind the Candelabra, made for HBO. Representation from Asia is strong, with Miike Takashi's Straw Shield, Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin, and Kora-Eda Hirokazu's Like Father, Like Son making the competition selection. Johnnie To's Blind Detective will play Cannes at midnight as a special screening.
The full announcement is below, but first, a few immediate reactions from European Editor Brian Clark and Festivals Editor Ryland Aldrich, who have listed a few titles they're excited about... at least at first glance. Give them a look and chime in with your own favorites below!
European Editor Brian Clark:
The Immigrant (formerly titled Low Life)
With films like Little Odessa and We Own the Night, James Gray has always proved reliable for gritty, working-class drama, but his most recent effort Two Lovers showed a more playful and unique approach to melodrama which I'm excited to see more of. This period piece once again teams Gray with Joaquin Phoenix, and also stars Marion Cotillard.
Bastards
The plot: A widowed woman enlists her brother, a ship captain, to help her take revenge on the man who drove their family business under. The director: The formidable Claire Denis, who has proven adept at sublime family drama (35 Shots of Rum), politically-minded thrillers (White Material) and even sickening vampire/cannibal melodrama (Trouble Every Day). Yes, please.
European Editor Brian Clark:
The Immigrant (formerly titled Low Life)
With films like Little Odessa and We Own the Night, James Gray has always proved reliable for gritty, working-class drama, but his most recent effort Two Lovers showed a more playful and unique approach to melodrama which I'm excited to see more of. This period piece once again teams Gray with Joaquin Phoenix, and also stars Marion Cotillard.
Bastards
The plot: A widowed woman enlists her brother, a ship captain, to help her take revenge on the man who drove their family business under. The director: The formidable Claire Denis, who has proven adept at sublime family drama (35 Shots of Rum), politically-minded thrillers (White Material) and even sickening vampire/cannibal melodrama (Trouble Every Day). Yes, please.
The Past
Starring Bérénice Bejo and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Asghar Farhadi's follow-up to A Separation switches it's locale to Paris, but still examines domestic drama, love and Iranian identity. While some of the plotting of A Separation got on my nerves, Farhadi's knack for making domestic drama simultaneously intimate and universal, and always compelling, is too strong to ignore.
Festivals Editor Ryland Aldrich:
Only God Forgives
Without a doubt one of the most anticipated upcoming titles, we are ecstatic to see that Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives will indeed be in competition this year at Cannes. Only two years after winning the Best Director award, Refn returns with this Ryan Gosling re-teaming that also stars Kristin Scott Thomas. One look at the trailer and there is little doubt that Refn is holding anything back in his latest crime thriller.
Inside Llewyn Davis
It's no surprise that the latest outing by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis, has made the cut. Set in 1960s Greenwich Village, the film stars Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, and Garrett Hedlund (see the trailer here). The Coens' last won the Palme d'Or for Barton Fink, though Fargo, The Ladykillers, and No Country for Old Men all debuted in competition here as well. Perhaps this will be the year they reclaim their prize.
Starring Bérénice Bejo and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Asghar Farhadi's follow-up to A Separation switches it's locale to Paris, but still examines domestic drama, love and Iranian identity. While some of the plotting of A Separation got on my nerves, Farhadi's knack for making domestic drama simultaneously intimate and universal, and always compelling, is too strong to ignore.
Festivals Editor Ryland Aldrich:
Only God Forgives
Without a doubt one of the most anticipated upcoming titles, we are ecstatic to see that Nicholas Winding Refn's Only God Forgives will indeed be in competition this year at Cannes. Only two years after winning the Best Director award, Refn returns with this Ryan Gosling re-teaming that also stars Kristin Scott Thomas. One look at the trailer and there is little doubt that Refn is holding anything back in his latest crime thriller.
Inside Llewyn Davis
It's no surprise that the latest outing by Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis, has made the cut. Set in 1960s Greenwich Village, the film stars Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, and Garrett Hedlund (see the trailer here). The Coens' last won the Palme d'Or for Barton Fink, though Fargo, The Ladykillers, and No Country for Old Men all debuted in competition here as well. Perhaps this will be the year they reclaim their prize.
Here's the official lineup ...
Opening night film: THE GREAT GATSBY, dir Baz Luhrmann
Closing night film: ZULU, dir Jérôme Salle
In Competition
Jury chair: Steven Spielberg
ONLY GOD FORGIVES, dir Nicolas Winding Refn
BORGMAN, dir Alex Can Warmerdam
THE GREAT BEAUTY, dir Paulo Sorrentino
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, dir Steven Soderbergh
VENUS IN FURS, dir Roman Polanski
NEBRASKA, dir Alexander Payne
YOUNG AND PRETTY, dir François Ozon
THE LIFE OF ADELE, dir Abdellatif Kechiche
SHIELD OF STRAW, dir Takashi Miike
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON, dir Kore-Eda Hirokazu
A TOUCH OF SIN, dir Jia Zhangke
GRISGRIS, dir Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
THE IMMIGRANT, dir James Gray
HELI, dir Amat Escalante
THE PAST, dir Asghar Farhadi
MICHAEL KOHLHAAS, dir Arnaud Despallieres
INSIDE LLEWELYN DAVIS, dir Ethan and Joel Coen
UN CHATEAU EN ITALIE, dir Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi
Un Certain Regarde
Jury chair: Thomas Vinterberg
THE BLING RING, dir Sofia Coppola
L'INCONNU DU LA, dir Alain Guiraudie
BENDS, dir Flora Lau
L'IMAGE MANQUANTE, dir Rithy Panh
LA JAULA DE ORO, dir Diego Quemada-Diez
ANONYMOUS, dir Mohammad Rasoulo
SARAH WOULD RATHER RUN, dir Chloé Robichaud
GRAND CENTRAL, dir Rebecca Zlotowski
FRUITVALE STATION, dir Ryan Coogler
BASTARDS, dir Claire Denis
NORTH, THE END OF HISTORY, dir Lav Diaz
AS I LAY DYING, dir James Franco
MIELE, dir Valeria Golino
OMAR, dir Hany Abu-Assad
DEATH MARCH, dir Adolfo Alix Jr.
Special Screenings
WEEKEND OF A CHAMPION, dir Roman Polanski
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED, dir James Toback
OTDAT KONCI, dir Taisia Igumentseva
MUHAMMAD ALI'S GREATEST FIGHT, dir Stephen Frears
STOP THE POUNDING HEART, dir Robero Minervini
Midnight Screenings
MONSOON SHOOTOUT, dir Amit Kumar
BLIND DETECTIVE, dir Johnnie To
Homage to Jerry Lewis
MAX ROSE, dir Daniel Noah
Out of Competition
ALL IS LOST by J.C Chandor
BLOOD TIES by Guillaume Canet
Gala Screening, Tribute to India
BOMBAY TALKIES by Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar