While not every Londoner will travel beyond the channel for a trip to the movies, our Culture Whisper film nuts certainly will. Here are the titles we'll be looking out for, which will no doubt be heading to London cinemas before you know it – you'll just be more clued up before the others catch up.
The Dead Don't Die by Jim Jarmusch
Stars, ghouls and palm trees: this is what to expect this May as indie auteur Jim Jarmusch's new film The Dead Don't Die is officially opening the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The eyewatering cast includes Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Tilda Swinton, Caleb Landry Jones, and, deep breath, Iggy Pop.
Atlantics by Mati Diop
With Atlantics, Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop is the first woman to submit a debut feature to the Official Selection since 2011, and the first black woman ever to do so. The Croisette has always had a soft spot for Diop's short films, and her contributions as an actor in the films of Claire Denis cannot be underestimated. Excitement is already reaching fever pitch for this one.
A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick
Cannes hasn't quite been the same without Terrence Malick, has it? A Hidden Life marks the auteur's return to the festival since he won the Palme D'Or in 2011 with Tree of Life. His latest film heads back to World War II, looking at Austrian objector Franz Jägerstätter, as he refused to fight for the Nazis. Matthias Schoenaerts (A Bigger Splash, Far From The Madding Crowd) stars alongside Bruno Ganz and Michael Nyqvist, in the pair's final posthumous roles.
Frankie by Ira Sachs
Superstar actress from France: Isabelle Huppert. Superstar from the US indie directing scene: Ira Sachs. Add on top of both outstanding elements a supporting cast including Marisa Tomei and Greg Kinnear, and an idyllic setting of a Portugese holiday home – and you've got yourself a delicious family drama. Three generations, one day, a life-changing decision that will affect them all. Colour us intrigued.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Céline Sciamma
It seems like every filmmaker needs a period drama-cum-lesbian romance in their back catalogue, and Céline Sciamma is bringing hers to the Croisette in the shape of Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Sciamma has been making promising work for years – a favourite of ours is My Life As A Courgette – so her first Competition slot has a lot to live up to.
Pain and Glory by Pedro Almodóvar
Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar's latest film follows a filmmaker, in his twilight years, as he recalls his life. Antonio Banderas leads the cast in playing the perhaps Almodóvar-esque director Salvador, who goes through a series of reencounters, both imaginary and real, with people and places he has known, moving from the 1960s to the 1980s
Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho
If you loved Okja, Parasite is the next film to book mark. South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho has seldom made a misstep, as his experience with social thrillers verging on dystopia have increasingly impressed, from The Host in 2006 to Snowpiercer in 2013. Wealth, unemployment and unexpected incidents trace the outline of one of the most curious titles to come.
Sorry We Missed You by Ken Loach
He won big in 2016 with I, Daniel Blake – a compelling call to arms – and now Ken Loach is coming back. The British filmmaker has a knack for platforming stories that could seem slight with magnanimous believability. Sorry We Missed You focuses on a family in middle England, helmed by a struggling delivery driver and his wife and children, doing their best to get by.
Rocketman by Dexter Fletcher
Anticipation continues to increase for Rocketman, the film about Elton John dubbed a 'musical fantasy' rather than a more conventional biopic. John is producing, and Kingsman star Taron Egerton is playing the musician in the film. The Croisette will be treated to an early glimpse for the long-awaited title, as audiences prepare to launch headfirst into the (very literal) glitz of the story of what must be one of music’s most naturally cinematic icons. One thing is certain: it already looks better than Bohemian Rhapsody.
Little Joe by Jessica Hausner
Ben Whishaw and Emily Beecham have got their lab coats ready for a peculiar but promising portrait of the bizarre possibilities of humanity. Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner crafts a picture of dystopian science, as a genetically engineered plant begins to impact living creatures in alarming, but potentially just illusory way. Whether it's confusion or conviction – we're on board already.
The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers
There's a lighthouse. There's a lighthouse keeper called Old (played by Willem Dafoe). There's Robert Pattinson, staunchly continuing his streak of working with only the best independent arthouse directors. There's said director, Robert Eggers, who we've been eagerly rooting for since The Witch. And then there's us, already planning how long we're going to spend queuing, to see this film as soon as we can.
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino
Will he, won't he, he's been teasing for months but now it's finally confirmed: Quentin Tarantino is officially heading back to Cannes, in Competition, with his new film. Once Upon A Time establishes a star-studded landscape against the backdrop of the infamous Manson Murders – but without letting them fully take over.
Of his new project, Tarantino says it's 'a story that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood. The two lead characters are Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of a Western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognise anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbour… Sharon Tate.'
| What | Cannes Film Festival 2019: Movies to look forward to in London |
| When |
14 May 19 – 25 May 19, TIMES VARY |
| Price | £N/A |
| Website | Click here for more information |
