“Miss Festival” Simone Silva poses topless with Robert Mitchum during the Cannes Film Festival in April 1954.
Here are the films playing in 2015 Cannes Film Festival
Stacy Martin in Tale of Tales
by Justin Chang &Â Elsa Keslassy
OPENER
Standing Tall
(Emmanuelle Bercot, France). Screening out of competition, Bercotâs fourth feature (which she co-wrote with Marcia Romano) follows the troubled upbringing of a boy named Malony (Rod Paradot), and also stars Catherine Deneuve appearing as a juvenile judge who tries to intervene in his life. As either actress or director, Bercot is no stranger to Cannes: Her 2001 helming debut, âClement,â made its premiere in Un Certain Regard, and she also won prizes at the festival for her short films âLes Vacancesâ (1997) and âLa Puceâ (1999). (Sales: Elle Driver)
COMPETITION
The Assassin
(Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan). This Tang Dynasty-era martial-arts epic, starring Shu Qi and Chang Chen (the lovers in Houâs âThree Timesâ), is the Taiwanese auteurâs first film since âFlight of the Red Balloon,â which opened the festivalâs Un Certain Regard sidebar in 2007. It will be his seventh time in competition, after 1993âs âThe Puppetmasterâ (which received a jury prize), âGood Men, Good Womenâ (1995), âGoodbye, South, Goodbyeâ (1996), âFlowers of Shanghaiâ (2008), âMillennium Mamboâ (2001) and âThree Timesâ (2007). (Sales: Wild Bunch)
Carol
(Todd Haynes, U.S.-U.K.). Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara star in this adaptation of Patricia Highsmithâs novel about a lonely young department-store clerk who falls for an elegant older woman in 1950s New York. Haynesâ recent films (âFar From Heaven,â âIâm Not Thereâ) have played the fall festival circuit, and this latest drama, which the Weinstein Co. is releasing Stateside this fall, will mark his first appearance at Cannes since 1998âs âVelvet Goldmine,â which received a prize for artistic contribution from the jury. (Sales: HanWay Films)
Cate Blanchett Rooney Mara
Nudity Prediction
Did Cate made her real nude debut in a quite explicit sex scene with Rooney? Is Carol this year Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)? The script was pretty graphic in describing the sexual encounter between the two. Cate is A-lister acting-wise. She might have told Todd to pare down the nudity on her side with Rooney doing all the heavy lifting (full-frontal again?)
Erran
(Jacques Audiard, France). Audiard has proven himself a specialist in gritty stories from Parisâ underbelly, and his latest, already acquired by IFCâs Sundance Selects for Stateside release, stars Vincent Rottiers as a Sri Lankan Tamil fighter working as a caretaker on a council estate in the city. Audiard was previously in competition with 1996âs âA Self-Made Heroâ (which won a screenplay prize), 2009âs âA Prophetâ (which received the Grand Prix), and 2012âs âRust and Bone.â (Sales: Wild Bunch)
Rust and Bone Directed by Jacques Audiard
The Lobster
(Yorgos Lanthimos, Greece-U.K.-Ireland-Netherlands-France). Lanthimos won the 2009 Un Certain Regard prize for his attention-grabbing âDogtooth,â and wound up bypassing a second Un Certain Regard slot in favor of a Venice competition berth for âAlpsâ (2011). This time, he cracks the big leagues with a love story set in a dystopian future where single people are arrested and forced to find a mate within 45 days. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Lea Seydoux and John C. Reilly star in the mostly Irish-financed production. (Sales: Protagonist Pictures)
Rachel Weisz
Louder Than Bombs
(Joachim Trier, Norway-France-Denmark). Trier was previously in Un Certain Regard with his well-received âOslo, August 31stâ (2011), and he cracks the competition for the first time with this starry English-language drama about the secrets that emerge about a war photographer (Isabelle Huppert) three years after her death in a car accident. Gabriel Byrne and Jesse Eisenberg star as her husband and son, respectively; the cast also includes David Strathairn and Amy Ryan. (Sales: Memento Films Intl.)
Isabelle Hupper
Macbeth
(Justin Kurzel, U.K.-France-U.S.). Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard play Shakespeareâs bloodthirsty power couple in this Scottish-filmed adaptation (which will also offer a foretaste of this yearâs other Cotillard-Fassbender-Kurzel collaboration, âAssassinâs Creedâ). The competition berth marks a big step up for Australian director Kurzel from his trip to the Croisette in 2011, when âSnowtown,â his psychological chiller about the serial killer John Bunting, bowed in the festivalâs parallel Criticsâ Week sidebar. (Sales: Studiocanal)
Nudity Prediction
Naked witches?
Marion Cotillard
Marguerite and Julien
(Valerie Donzelli, France). Co-written by Donzelli and her regular collaborator Jeremie Elkaim, this tale of an incestuous love affair between the two eponymous siblings (played by Anais Demoustier and Jeremie Elkaim) is based on a 1971 Jean Gruault script that was almost filmed by Francois Truffaut. The competition slot reps a big boost for Donzelli after her 2011 Criticsâ Week hit, âDeclaration of War.â (Sales: Wild Bunch)
Anais DemoustierÂ
Mon roi
(Maiwenn, France). In addition to opening the festival with âStanding Tall,â Emmanuelle Bercot stars here as a woman recovering from a passionate but destructive romance; her lover is played by Vincent Cassel. Maiwenn was previously at Cannes with her ensemble drama âPolisseâ (2011), which won a jury prize. (Sales: Studiocanal)
Emmanuelle Bercot as Marion in Clément
Mountains May Depart
(Jia Zhangke, China-Japan-France). Jiaâs first feature shot outside his native China is a generations-spanning drama that unfolds in three parts, set in the 1990s, the present day and 2025, respectively. The filmmaker has had three prior films in competition at Cannes: âUnknown Pleasuresâ (2002), â24 Cityâ (2008) and âA Touch of Sinâ (2013), which won a screenplay prize. His 2010 documentary, âI Wish I Knew,â screened in Un Certain Regard. (Sales: MK2)
My Mother
(Nanni Moretti, Italy-France). In her third collaboration with Moretti, Margherita Buy plays a filmmaker weathering a number of behind-the-scenes crises in this sardonic tragicomedy, also starring John Turturro. In addition to his Palme dâOr-winning âThe Sonâs Roomâ (2001), Moretti has had five previous films in competition at Cannes: âEcce bomboâ (1978); âDear Diaryâ (1994), which won him a directing prize; âAprileâ (1998); âThe Caimanâ (2006); and âWe Have a Popeâ (2011). (Sales: Films Distribution)
Our Little SisterÂ
(Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan). Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho and Suzu Hirose, headlines this adaptation of Akimi Yoshidaâs popular serialized comic about four sisters living in the eponymous city. Kore-eda received a jury prize and an ecumenical prize at Cannes just two years ago for âLike Father, Like Son,â and he was also in competition with âNobody Knowsâ (2004) and âDistanceâ (2001). His 2009 film âAir Dollâ premiered in Un Certain Regard. (Sales: Gaga/Wild Bunch)
Haruka AyaseMasami NagasawaÂ
The Sea of Trees
(Gus Van Sant, U.S.). Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe play two men who meet by chance in Japanâs âSuicide Forest,â where both have gone to end their lives; Naomi Watts also stars. Van Sant was previously at Cannes with âRestless,â which opened Un Certain Regard in 2011. Before that, he won the Palme dâOr and a directing prize for âElephantâ (2003), and was also in competition with âLast Daysâ (2005) and âParanoid Parkâ (2007), which won a special 60th anniversary prize from the festival. (Sales: Bloom)
Naomi Watts
Sicario
(Denis Villeneuve, U.S.). The Canadian director is no stranger to Cannes, which screened his films âCosmosâ (1996, Directorsâ Fortnight), âAugust 32nd on Earthâ (1998, Un Certain Regard) and âPolytechniqueâ (2009, Directorsâ Fortnight). Since then, Villeneuve has become one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood, and he cracks the competition for the first time with this crime drama starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin and Jon Bernthal, and set against the backdrop of the Mexican drug trade. (Sales: Lionsgate Intl.)
Emily Blunt
A Simple Man
(Stephane Brize, France). After their well-regarded collaborations âMademoiselle Chambonâ (2009) and âA Few Hours of Springâ (2012), Brize and actor Vincent Lindon team for a third time with this drama about a 51-year-old man who begins working as a supermarket security guard and is soon faced with a moral dilemma. The film marks Brizeâs first time in competition at Cannes; he was previously at the festival with his 1999 debut, âBlue Citiesâ (Directorsâ Fortnight). (Sales: MK2)
Son of Saul
(Laszlo Nemes, Hungary). The sole debut feature in competition follows a prisoner in 1944 Auschwitz who, forced to burn the corpses of his people, tries to save the body of a boy he takes for his own son. Nemes is the son of the Hungarian director Andras Jeles and a longtime protege of Bela Tarr.
The Tale of Tales
(Matteo Garrone, Italy-France-U.K.). A two-time Cannes Grand Prix winner for âGomorrahâ (2008) and âRealityâ (2012), Garrone ventures into the realm of English-language horror/fantasy with this f/x-heavy adaptation of a collection of fairy tales by the 17th-century Italian author Giambattista Basile. Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel and John C. Reilly star. (Sales: HanWay Films)
Youth
(Paolo Sorrentino, Italy-France-Switzerland-U.K.). Sorrentinoâs English-language drama stars Michael Caine as a retired orchestra conductor who receives an invitation to perform for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. It marks the Italian auteurâs sixth film in competition, after âThe Consequences of Loveâ (2004), âThe Family Friendâ (2006), the jury prize-winning âIl Divoâ (2008), âThis Must Be the Placeâ (2011) and âThe Great Beautyâ (2013). (Sales: Pathe)
OUT OF COMPETITION
Inside Out
(Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen). Docter was previously in Cannes with âUp,â the first animated film ever to open the festival. He returns with this comic fantasy about the emotional life of a young girl, featuring voice work by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling and Diane Lane. A Cannes rollout will precede the filmâs June 19 theatrical release.
Irrational ManÂ
(Woody Allen, U.S.). Allenâs 45th feature, said to be one of his darker, more serious-minded entries in the vein of âMatch Point,â stars Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town college philosophy professor who begins a relationship with one of his students (Emma Stone). The film will screen May 15 in Cannes; Sony Classics will release the film July 24 Stateside. (Sales: FilmNation)Â
The Little Prince
(Mark Osborne). Osborne is no stranger to Cannes, having co-directed âKung Fu Pandaâ (with John Stevenson), which screened out of competition in 2008. His feature follow-up, produced by Paris-based On Entertainment, is reportedly one of the most expensive French animated features of all time (with an $80 million budget), and features voice work by Marion Cotillard, Riley Osborne, James Franco, Mackenzie Foy, Jeff Bridges and Benicio Del Toro. (Sales: Wild Bunch)
Mad Max: Fury Road
(George Miller, U.S.). Tom Hardy steps into Mel Gibsonâs iconic chaps in this long-gestating reimagining of Millerâs post-apocalyptic action franchise. The film, which also stars Charlize Theron, is set for a second-day May 14 slot in Cannes, one day before its worldwide release through Warner Bros.
UN CERTAIN REGARD
The Chosen OnesÂ
(David Pablos, Mexico). Pablosâ follow-up to âThe Life Afterâ (2013) is adapted from Jorge Volpiâs novel set in the world of juvenile prostitution.
Fly Away Solo
(Neeraj Ghaywan, India). Shweta Tripathi and Richa Chadda star in this relationship drama from Ghaywan, a Mumbai-based filmmaker making his feature debut.
The Fourth DirectionÂ
(Gurvinder Singh, France-India). Singhâs sophomore feature (after his 2011 debut, âAlms for the Blind Horseâ) is adapted from two short stories by Punjabi writer Waryam Singh Sandhu.
The High Sun
(Dalibor Matanic, Croatia-Slovenia). The Croatian writer-helmer (âMother of Aspahlt,â âI Love Youâ) presents a trilogy of love stories set in 1991, 2001 and 2011.
I Am a Soldier
(Laurent Lariviere, France). A social drama starring Louise Bourgoin as a thirtysomething woman who is obligated to return to her parentsâ home and agrees to work for her uncle (Jean-Hugues Anglade) in a doghouse.
Journey to the ShoreÂ
(Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan). Previously in Un Certain Regard with âTokyo Sonataâ (2008), the Japanese auteur returns with this adaptation of a novel by Kazumi Yumoto, starring Eri Fukatsu as a woman whose husband returns three years after his disappearance. (Sales: MK2)
Madonna
(Shin Su-won, South Korea). Shinâs follow-up to âPlutoâ (2013) centers around a nurseâs aide (Seo Yeong-hee) trying to secure an organ donation.
Maryland
(Alice Winocour, France-Belgium). Cannes seems an ideal spot to unveil this French Riviera-lensed thriller, starring Mathias Schoenaerts as a French Special Forces soldier suffering PTSD after fighting in Afghanistan, and Diane Kruger as the wife of his new employer. Winocourâs previous film, âAugustineâ (2012), premiered in Cannes Criticsâ Week. (Sales: Indie Sales)
NahidÂ
(Ida Panahandeh, Iran). Sareh Bayat and Pejman Bazeghi star in the Iranian helmerâs latest, described on its Facebook page as âa drama of love.â
One Floor BelowÂ
(Radu Muntean, Romania). Previously in Un Certain Regard with âTuesday, After Christmasâ (2010), Muntean returns with his fifth feature, about a man who bears witness to a domestic quarrel that ends in murder.
The Other Side
(Roberto Minervini, Italy). The latest documentary from Italian filmmaker Minervini, who was previously at Cannes with âStop the Pounding Heartâ (2013, Special Screenings).
Rams
(Grimur Hakonarson, Iceland). Sigurdur Sigurjonsson and Theodor Juliusson play two brothers battling to save their ancestral sheep stock following a disease outbreak in the secluded Icelandic valley where they live. The cinematography is by Sturla Brandth Grovlen, who won a Silver Bear at Berlin for his one-take wonder âVictoria.â
The Shameless
(Oh Seung-euk, South Korea). A detective falls for the girlfriend (Jeon Do-yeon) of a mobster heâs chasing in this romantic crime thriller. (Sales: CJ Entertainment)
The Treasure
(Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania). The Romanian New Wave helmer won the Camera dâOr for his 2006 debut, â12:08 East of Bucharestâ (Directorsâ Fortnight), and the Un Certain Regard prize for 2009âs âPolice, Adjective.â Heâll vie for the latter award again with his latest feature, about two men on a quest for treasure. (Sales: Wild Bunch)
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
AmyÂ
(Asif Kapadia, U.K.). This portrait of the late British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, featuring newly unearthed tracks and archival footage, is Kapadiaâs first feature since his acclaimed 2010 documentary, âSenna.â Itâs also the first nonfiction project acquired for Stateside distribution by A24, which plans a summer theatrical release. (Sales: Focus Features)
Office
(Hong Won-chan, South Korea). Hong, one of the writers on Na Hong-jinâs âThe Chaser,â makes his directing debut with this serial-killer thriller.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Amnesia
(Barbet Schroeder, Switzerland-France). Previously at Cannes with his Un Certain Regard entry âTerrorâs Advocateâ (2007), Schroeder returns with this cross-generational relationship drama set against Europeâs electronic music scene. (Sales: Les Films du Losange)
AsphalteÂ
(Samuel Benchetrit, France). Isabelle Huppert, Gustave Kervern, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi and Michael Pitt star in this drama about several lonely inhabitants of the same council estate, adapted by Benchetrit from his novel. (Sales: TF1 Intl.)
Hayored lemaâalaÂ
(Elad Keidan). The Israeli filmmakerâs debut arrives in Cannes seven years after he won the Cinefondation prize for his short âHimnon.â
Oka
(Souleymane Cisse). The Mali-born director was previously at Cannes with 2009âs âTell Me Who You Areâ; he competed at the 1995 festival with âWaati.â
Panama
(Pavle Vuckovic, Serbia). Vuckovicâs debut feature is a thriller that, per the press materials, âdepicts how digital communication, pornography and vanity obstruct true emotions and love.â
A Tale of Love and DarknessÂ
(Natalie Portman, Israel). Likely to be the highest-profile contender for the Camera dâOr this year, Portmanâs debut is an adaptation of the bestselling autobiography by the Israeli writer Amos Oz, chronicling his years growing up in Jerusalem during the 1940s and â50s. The actress-director herself plays the role of Ozâs mother. (Sales: Voltage/CAA)
Natalie Portman