10:00 PM PDT 5/12/2018
by
Lauren Huff
The fest’s final daily issue features a look at where the market stands at the midpoint, the Cate Blanchett-led women’s march, and 5 reasons the festival may be in decline.
The Hollywood Reporter has released its sixth and final Cannes Film Festival daily issue at this year’s fest, and it includes a look at where the market stands as Cannes reaches its midway point; the details of a women’s march where 82 stars and executives took to the steps of the Palais to symbolize the number of female directors who have been featured in the festival’s competition over its 71-year history; and five reasons why the world’s most prestigious film fest looked — and felt — much different this year.
“Our Whole Business Seems to Be in Flux”
All was relatively quiet on the Cannes market front until Saturday morning, when Universal closed a $20 million deal for U.S. rights to the female-fronted action film 355. Just two days earlier, the film’s stars Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Fan Bingbing and Lupita Nyong’o created the festival’s best photo op during their presentation to U.S. and foreign buyers at the Majestic. The ensuing fanfare did the trick with 355 landing a wide release commitment, still the holy grail for independently financed films. Hours after the 355 deal was sealed, Donald Tang’s upstart Global Road Entertainment made waves of its own by nabbing North American rights to the Colin Firth star vehicle The Secret Garden, the latest adaption of the classic children’s book. THR takes a look at the other films finding homes at the midway mark.
“Let’s Climb”
Cannes film festival jury president Cate Blanchett led a women’s march up the steps of the Palais in Cannes Saturday night in what turned out to be a powerful moment to promote gender equality in the film industry. A hush spread over the normally chaotic red carpet as 82 women took to the iconic steps, standing in solidarity and silence to call attention to the low number of women who have been selected in the festival’s official competition over the years. In total, 82 women participated in the event, including Blanchett, fellow jury members Kristen Stewart and Ava DuVernay, Lea Seydoux, Marion Cotillard, Salma Hayek, Leila Bekhti, Sofia Boutella, Patty Jenkins and Agnes Varda, the latter of whom joined Blanchett to deliver remarks at the top of the stairs. Blanchett and Varda read out a statement, calling out the very few women that have ever been in competition. Read more about the event here.
The New Cannes?
The Cannes Film Festival did its best to put on a show for its 71st edition, but the mood along the Croisette this year was subdued. It wasn’t just the shadow of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein casting a pale over the proceedings. Everywhere you looked, there were clear signs that the old thrill is gone. THR breaks down five of the key ways the festival has changed.
Click here to download the Day 1 PDF.
Click here to download the Day 2 PDF.
Click here to download the Day 3 PDF.
Click here to download the Day 4 PDF.
Click here to download the Day 5 PDF.
Click here to download the Day 6 PDF.
Let’s block ads! (Why?)