Cannes Film Festival kicks into full swing for 75th anniversary
Cannes Film Festival kicks into full swing for 75th anniversary

The Cannes Film Festival is gearing up for a bumper 75th anniversary edition with a selection of big Hollywood names, buzzy newcomers and previous Palme d’Or winners – a splashy return even as the conflict in Ukraine looms over festivities.
"I honestly think this is one of the best Cannes line-ups in years," said Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief for The Hollywood Reporter.
The festival runs from May 17-28, resuming its traditional calendar following two years of pandemic disruptions. It was canceled in 2020, and last year moved to July, when it was held under strict COVID protocols.
This year, the parties are back and Hollywood heavyweights will include Tom Cruise's "Top Gun Maverick," – bringing the star to Cannes for the first time in three decades – as well as Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Actor Forest Whitaker will be on hand to receive the festival's Honorary Palme D'Or for lifetime achievement.
David Cronenberg will mark his return to horror films with "Crimes of the Future," featuring Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux.
There will also be a strong showing from Asia, despite the absence of China, with films by Park Chan-wook and Hirokazu Kore-eda in competition and "Squid Game" actor Lee Jung-jae premiering his new film "Hunt."
"Everyone wants to sort of come back for this moment, sort of this re-awakening of cinema here in Cannes," said Roxborough.
The festival opens on Tuesday with a zombie film, "Final cut," by French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, who changed the title from "Z, like Z" to strip out a reference to the letter which has become associated with the war in Ukraine.
The festival banned official Russian delegations from the event but will feature "Tchaikovski's Wife" by exiled Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been outspoken about the war.
Also screening is "Mariupolis 2" by Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, 45, who was killed in Mariupol, the Ukrainian city heavily bombarded by Russian forces, nearly a month ago while working on the film. His fiancée Hanna Bilobrova, who finished the project, will present it.
Another Ukrainian entry is a debut film from Maksim Nakonechnyi, "Butterfly Vision," the story of a young Ukrainian woman who returns to her country after being captured then released in a prisoner swap.
(Reporting by Mimosa Spencer and Hanna Rantala; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada pledges funds as G7 develops response to famine fallout from Russian invasion
Canada pledged $50 million to prevent Ukrainian grain from going to waste on Sunday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to work with G7 nations on further measures to halt the famine caused by the Russian invasion of the embattled country.

Connecting Indigenous inmates to their culture: Grand Chief performs at Manitoba prison
Behind prison walls, National Indigenous People's Day was celebrated this month, with inmates at a Manitoba federal prison granted access to music, drumming and sharing circles — positive steps forward to reconnect Indigenous inmates with their culture and rehabilitate a group that is incarcerated at a disproportionate rate.
Hundreds of thousands celebrate return of Toronto Pride parade to downtown streets
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Toronto on Sunday as the city's Pride parade returned for the first time in two years.
BREAKING | Colorado Avalanche win Stanley Cup, beat Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6
Colorado Avalanche win the 2022 Stanley Cup, beating two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine a 'turning point' in world history: defence chief
Canada's chief of defence says Russia's invasion of Ukraine is going to change the course of history.
Halifax scientists have a plan to capture carbon from the atmosphere using mining materials
A Dalhousie University team of scientists — in a joint venture with a company called Planetary Technologies — is now in the next phase of their research to use the power of the ocean to one day reduce the world’s carbon levels.
U.S. Ambassador Cohen on inflation, the convoy protests, abortion rights and gun control
David Cohen has been the United States' Ambassador to Canada since November 2021, and in the time since, both Canada and the United States have experienced a series of shared challenges. In an interview at his official residence in Ottawa, Cohen opens up about the state of the relationship.
Trump's lasting legacy grows as U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe
The abortion decision in the U.S. marked the apex in a week that reinforced former U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing impact in Washington more than a year and a half after he exited the White House.
Trudeau mocks 'bare-chested horseback riding' Putin as G7 leaders meet in Germany
Russian President Valdimir Putin was a target of mockery by leaders of the Group of Seven, as they sat around a table Sunday, commencing their three-day summit in Bavarian Alps, Germany.