Screening of the Nora Aunor restored classic movie “Bona” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival Photo by Ruben V. Nepales.
A Look Back at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival
By Janet Susan R. Nepales
Going to Cannes has always been one of the highlights of my journalism career, and I am blessed to have covered the prestigious film festival for the past 12 years.
Watching award-winning films, interviewing the actors and filmmakers, walking the exciting red carpet with the stars and attending the after-parties and other events at the La Croisette always made me wide-eyed with joy and wonder, as if it were my first time all over again.
This year’s 77th Cannes Film Festival was extra special because 80 filmmakers, actors and producers from the Philippines attended, representing the country in various areas and categories of the festival, from the Directors Fortnight to the Cannes Classics. Budding directors, writers and actors showcased their films and even attended sessions and workshops with veteran filmmakers. They were also allowed to pitch their stories to potential distributors and producers. Some were also very grateful since it was their first time at the world-renowned festival.
Josh Yugen, Janet Susan R. Nepales, Michael Cinco, Miss Universe New Zealand Franki Russell, Aaron Pelegrino and Brian de Gracia in Cannes. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales.
Sean Baker’s Love for Lino Brocka
I also felt very proud to see the restored classic Lino Brocka film “Bona,” starring superstar Nora Aunor, showcased at the Cannes Classics division with no less than Palme d’Or award-winning director-writer Sean Baker in attendance. “I am a big fan of the late Lino Brocka,” Baker revealed.
He added, “This is my first time seeing this Lino Brocka film, and I was blown away. I’m so happy that this is the way I’m first seeing it because this restoration is glowing. It’s incredible. It’s like one of those ideal situations in which I’ve been told that they thought that the negative might be lost, but no, the negative was safe and sound in Paris in a lab. Obviously, it was placed there by Pierre Rissient, and thank God he did that because now we have this classic that has been preserved and the restoration has now made it something that people can enjoy for generations. And it’s a powerful film. It’s a very powerful film. The lead, Nora (Aunor), is incredible in it. So, I’m really happy that it’ll be getting a new life and because it really deserves an audience.”
The charming and boyish-looking Baker, who has seen such classic Brocka films like “Insiang,” “Manila in the Claws of Light” and “Cain at Abel,” said of Brocka, “I’ve seen those because of the new restorations, but of course, I’ve always known about him being the most renowned Filipino director and the first to play Cannes in competition. So, I’m really glad that I’m gonna be able to continue to explore his work. I have 62 films to watch. (laughs) But why I’m drawn to him is because we both work in social realism and tackling the subject matter with this craft is right up my alley.”
Baker won for his dark romantic comedy “Anora,” which tells the story of Anora (ably portrayed by Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Her Cinderella story, however, is threatened as the parents of her new Russian husband go to New York to get the marriage annulled.
Sean Baker and the cast of “Anora” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Janet Susan R. Nepales.
Some of the Filipino filmmakers who attended the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Janet Susan R. Nepales.
The author with filmmaker Sean Baker of “Anora” and his wife/producer Samantha Quan. Baker won the Palme d’Or award at Cannes for his film. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales.
Meryl Streep Receives the Palme d’Or Award
Multi-talented Meryl Streep became emotional as she received the honorary Palme d’Or award from actress Juliette Binoche, who turned teary-eyed. “You’re an international treasure who has changed the way we look at women in the cinema world,” Binoche said. “And also, you helped us look at ourselves differently.”
Streep, 74, also got emotional and said, “Thirty-five years ago, when I was here for the first time, I was already a mother of three. I was about to turn 40, and I thought that my career was over. And that wasn’t an unrealistic expectation for actresses at that time. But my mother, who was usually right about everything, said to me, ‘Meryl, darling, you’ll see it all goes so fast. So fast.’ And it does. Except for my speech, which is too long.”
Meryl Streep, recipient of an honorary Palme d’Or award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Big Film Premieres
Several big films premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, including:
- Francis Ford Coppola’s epic science fiction drama “Megalopolis,” starring Adam Driver and Shia LaBeouf
- George Miller’s post-apocalyptic action film “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth
- Kevin Costner’s Western epic film “Horizon: An American Saga,” starring Costner himself and Sienna Miller
- Sean Baker’s award-winning “Anora”
- Paul Schrader’s drama “Oh, Canada,” starring Richard Gere and Uma Thurman
- Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist black comedy “Kinds of Kindness,” starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe
- “Rumours,” a black comedy film starring Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander
- Jacques Audiard’s Spanish language musical drama “Emilia Pérez,” starring Selena Gomez, Zoë Saldaña, Adriana Paz and Karla Sofía Gascón
- “The Substance,” a horror film starring Demi Moore
- Lorcan Finnegan’s “The Surfer” starring Nicolas Cage
Juror actress Lily Gladstone at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Jane Fonda at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Salma Hayek at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Greta Gerwig Leads the Jury
Greta Gerwig, writer and director for “Barbie,” was a welcome addition to the Cannes Film Festival jury.
In addition to being the first female American director to be named president of the jury, Gerwig, 40, is the youngest person to assume the role since Sofia Loren, at 31 years old, did so in 1966. After actress Olivia de Havilland became the first female jury president in 1965, Gerwig is the second American woman and the second female director to hold the position, following Jane Campion in 2014.
Lily Gladstone, 37, the first Native American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was also a jury member.
On their choice of “Anora” as the best of the crop in a very competitive year, Gerwig said in an interview, “We really led with our hearts for everything we watched. It was an embarrassment of riches this year in terms of cinema. We (the jury) could have been talking into next week. We chose “Anora” because there was something that reminded us of a classic. There were structures of Lubitsch and Howard Hawks. It did something truthful and unexpected. Every single performance we loved. Their faces we felt. We were invited to be on a journey. It was heart-forward in terms of choosing.”
The jury also awarded the Best Actress to the female ensemble of “Emilia Pérez.” Gerwig explained their unique choice in an interview: “Women together – that’s something we wanted to honor when we made this award. Each of them is a standout, but together transcendent.”
Other members of the jury included French actress Eva Green, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona, Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and French actor and producer Omar Sy.
Greta Gerwig president of the jury at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola with his “Megalopolis” actor Adam Driver at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Demi Moore at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Selena Gomez at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Kevin Costner of “Horizon: An American Saga” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Kevin Costner of “Horizon: An American Saga” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
The cast of “Kinds of Kindness” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Other Highlights and Notable Attendees
Catherine Deneuve, last year’s festival poster girl, attended the 77th Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Chiara Mastroianni and was seen at the premiere of Christophe Honoré’s comedy “Marcello Mio.”
Deneuve also attended Kering’s Women in Motion Awards night, where NBCUniversal Studios Group chairperson and chief content officer Donna Langley, DBE, received the coveted award. Last year’s recipient, Michelle Yeoh, also attended the event, which recognized women who made breakthroughs in film.
Held at Place de la Castre in Cannes, other past Women in Motion Award recipients are Jane Fonda, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li, Salma Hayek, Viola Davis, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.
Catherine Deneuve at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Chris Hemsworth, director George Miller and Anya Taylor-Joy in Cannes for “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Juror actress Eva Green at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. Plemons won Best Actor award for his performance in “Kinds of Kindness” at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Michelle Yeoh at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.
Emma Stone at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Photo by Earl Gibson III.