Cannes Film Festival kicks off amid anti-government protests

Amid the protests and controversies over France’s pension reform against Johnny Depp, the 76th edition of the festival begins.

The red carpet has been rolled out in Cannes as the French Riviera city prepares for the opening night of the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

This year’s festival kicks off on May 16 and runs through May 27, with promising blockbusters, films from up-and-coming talent and potential encounters with the creme-de-la-creme of the global film industry spilling over the festival grounds around the Palais des Entrance .

“You know, when the curtain goes up in Lumiere, the tension is pretty strong. It is probably the cinema and the world’s screenings where people have the highest expectations of the films. And that’s great to share with the audience,” Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, who is also chairman of the jury for this year’s festival, told Al Jazeera.

“This year there are a lot of old dragons, like old movie masters presenting movies. There are also some younger new directors, and I’m really looking forward to seeing films made during the pandemic as well,” said Ostlund, who won the Palme d’Or for best film at the festival last year for Triangle of Sadness. year, as well as in 2017 for the movie The Square.

This year’s highlight for film buffs at the festival is the French-language film Jeanne du Barry, starring Johnny Depp as King Louis XV, his first major role since a highly publicized trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

Critics have objected to his presence on the opening night of the festival. But the event’s director, Thierry Fremaux, told Variety magazine that the actor had not been banned from work.

Other stars

Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, and actors Natalie Portman and Michael Douglas are also other stars expected to appear on the festival’s Croisette boulevard.

New films by directors Nanni Moretti, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders are also competing for the top prize Palme d’Or.

But Ostlund told Al Jazeera that as part of the jury, he tries to make sure every director is treated equally, emphasizing that filmmakers, new or old, have a knack for constantly improving their craft, something he admires.

“I think the beauty of the Cannes Film Festival is that it really gives you attention as a director and the film gets attention,” he said. “It changed my life and opened a lot of doors.”

Protest against the government

In addition to celebrity glamor and intriguing films that will attract the attention of film buffs at the festival, anti-government protesters have also emerged outside the festival grounds, threatening to ban the festival.

France’s CGT energy union has threatened to cut off electricity as part of a protest against French President Emmanuel Macron’s planned pension reforms.

Festival organizers are concerned about the unrest, which could dampen the spirit of cinema.

But Scott Roxborough, the European bureau chief at The Hollywood Reporter, told Reuters news agency that “people have a right to protest and freedom of expression should not be kept away from the glamour”.

Additional reporting by Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela and Victoria Baux at Cannes.