The full line-up for the 68th Cannes Film Festival was announced Thursday (April 16) with the Iranian film ‘Nahid’ present among the official selections.
Ida Panahandeh’s debut feature film ‘Nahid’ will be shown in the ‘A Certain Regard’ section of the festival, Honaronline reported.
Produced by Bijan Emkanian and supported by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC), ‘Nahid’ was nominated for the best screenplay at the New Vision section of the 33rd Fajr Film Festival.
The 90-minute drama is a 2014 production which narrates the story of a young woman in the north of Iran who deals with life’s difficulties and, meanwhile, falls in love.
Although a first feature film by Panahandeh, it is well directed since it is the result of her 15 years of experience in making short films and documentaries. Sareh Bayat, Pejman Bazeghi, and Navid Mohamadzadeh are the main actors.
The section will provide a significant platform for national cinemas not represented in competition. It is run parallel to the competition section for the Palme d’Or. Introduced in 1978, each year it presents a score of films with various types of visions and styles, original and different works which seek international recognition. Isabella Rossellini is president of the jury for this section. Rossellini, the daughter of the great Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, will also take part at a special section to pay tribute to her mother.
Other Participants
For the first time in 28 years, a film directed by a woman will kick off the Cannes festival. The opener is ‘Standing Tall’ directed by French filmmaker Emmanuelle Bercot. Screening out of competition, Bercot’s fourth feature follows the troubled upbringing of a boy and also stars Catherine Deneuve appearing as a juvenile judge who tries to intervene in his life.
The festival has been subject to criticism for its failure to include more films from women, and this is a pretty notable response.
A few of the more recognizable names heading into the competition include ‘The Sea of Trees’, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts; ‘Carol’, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and directed by Todd Haynes; and ‘Sicario’, which stars Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin.
Woody Allen’s ‘Irrational Man’ starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone’; Pixar’s latest animation ‘Inside Out’; and George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron will be screened out of competition.
There will also be a special screening of ‘A Tale of Love and Darkness’, which is Natalie Portman’s directorial debut. Oscar-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen will together preside over the main jury. In all, 17 films were added to the competition and 14 in ‘A Certain Regard’ section. The festival will run May 13-24.
