2017 Cannes Critics’ Week Announces Lineup, Including ‘Brigsby Bear’ and Animation From Iran
The 56th edition of the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar has announced its main program, including seven films screening in competition. The sidebar is dedicated to films coming from first- and second-time filmmakers, and always promises a fertile ground for discovering new and emerging talent. Last year’s breakout title was Julia Ducournau’s horror film “Raw,” which sold to Focus World.
The section will open with Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s latest feature, “Sicilian Ghost Story,” which combines the myths of Romeo and Juliet with the present day Sicilian mafia. Dave McCary’s debut “Brigsby Bear,” the Sundance comedy that sold to Sony Pictures Classics, will close out the section.
For the first time in its history, both a documentary and an animated film will screen in competition. Ali Soozandeh’s animated “Tehran Taboo” explores life in the Iranian capital, while “Makala,” the second documentary from Emmanuel Gras, is an intimate portrait of a family man in the Congo. Among the 11 feature films selected, six are from first-time directors and five are second films.
Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (“Aquarius,” “Neighboring Sounds”) will serve as this year’s Jury President, alongside Niels Schneider, Diana Bustamante Escobar, Hania Mroué and IndieWire’s Eric Kohn.
Check out the full lineup below.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
“Sicilian Ghost Story,” directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza
FEATURE FILMS IN SPECIAL SCREENINGS
“Bloody Milk,” directed by Hubert Charuel*
“A Violent Life,” directed by Thierry de Peretti
COMPETITION
“Ava,” directed by Lea Mysius*
“La Familia,” directed by Gustavo Rondon Cordova*
“Gabriel and the Mountain,” directed by Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa
“Makala,” directed by Emmanuel Gras
“Oh Lucy!” directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi*
“Los Perros,” directed by Marcela Said
“Tehran Taboo,” directed by Ali Soozandeh*
CLOSING FILM
Brigsby Bear, directed by Dave McCary*
SHORT FILMS SPECIAL SCREENING
“After School Knife Fight,” directed by Caroline Poggie and Jonathan Vinel
“Bad Bunny,” directed by Carlos Conceicao
“Islands,” directed by Yann Gonzalez
READ MORE: 17 Shocks and Surprises from the 2017 Cannes Lineup, From ‘Twin Peaks’ to Netflix and VR.
SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION
“Los Desheredados,” directed by Laura Ferrés
“Elsa – Sketches on a Departure,” directed by Oliver Adam Kusio
“Children Leave At Dawn,” directed by Manon Coubia
“Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month,” directed by Carlo Francisco Manatad
“Möbius,” directed by Sam Kuhn
“Real Gods Require Blood,” directed by Moin Hussain
“Selva,” directed by Sofia Quiros Ubeda
“Tesla: Luxiere Mondiale,” directed by Matthew Rankin
“Exposure,” directed by Salvatore Lista
*denotes first film eligible for the Camera d’Or
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