Among the most eagerly awaited entries is Mohamed Kordofani’s “Goodbye Julia”, which explores the roots of the chaos now sweeping Sudan. Moroccan helmers Asmae El Moudir (“The Mother of All Lies”) and Kamal Lazraq (“Hounds”) set their gaze on Casablanca’s everyday life and underworld, while Congolese hip-hop artist Baloji tells the tale of a child sorcerer in his maiden film, “Omen”. It also suggests a form of belated recognition for a continent that has still only won a single Palme d’Or, back in 1975, for Algerian director Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina’s “Chronique des Années de Braise” (Chronicle of the Years of Fire).Ĭannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, dedicated to emerging talent, will screen four other African entries. The selection of Ben Hania and Sy points to a sterling edition for African film, four years after French-Algerian director Mati Diop won a surprise Grand Prix award in Cannes for her debut feature “Atlantique”.
The next day, Senegalese newcomer Ramata-Toulaye Sy will present her tale of tortured love “Banel & Adama”, this year’s only first feature in the race for the Palme d’Or.
Tunisia’s Kaouther Ben Hania will get her first red-carpet premiere on Friday for her part-feature, part-documentary entry “Four Daughters”, about a mother’s efforts to find her daughters lured by the jihad in Syria. Female directors also account for the two African entries in the Palme competition, part of a sizeable and youthful contingent from the continent that has fuelled talk of African cinema finally enjoying its “Cannes moment”. This year’s festival sees Cannes break its undistinguished record for female directors vying for the Palme d’Or, with seven women among the 21 filmmakers in the race. Meanwhile, festivalgoers got the Nouvelle Vague-nostalgia treatment with a special 60th anniversary screening of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 classic “Le Mépris” (Contempt), one of the first movies about movies, a devastatingly beautiful portrayal of cinema as a corrupting world of crooked producers and screenwriters who pimp their wives to assist their career – with a soundtrack that stays with you forever. © Joel C Ryan, APĪlong the Riviera town’s palm tree-lined Croisette, there were screenings of movies from Portugal, Malaysia, Britain and Cape Verde, including Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City”, an exploration of the Nazi takeover of Amsterdam during World War II and this year’s longest film, stretching over more than four hours. Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda (right) poses with the cast of "Monster" ahead of the film's red-carpet premiere in Cannes.
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